OF  THE 

?QB(Dli(DQI)(3ail  SSKMQSm 


PRINCETON,   N.  J. 


SAMUEL    AONEW, 

OF     PHILADELPHIA,    PA. 


G4t>. 


Phstv/iX  g£riC,f§5fc 


Case,  SZ( 


Shelf,  /M" 


ection._. 


I 


Book, 


DISSERTATIONS 

ON 

THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

IN 

THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER. 

AND  ON 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP  OF  JESUS 

THE 

SON  OE  GOD  AND  OF  MARY; 

"WITH 

PROOFS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  HOLY  SCRIPTURE 

AND 

ECCLESIASTICAL  ANTIQUITY. 
BY  WILLIAM  CHRISTIE, 

A  BELIEVER  IN  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  CATHOLIC 
CHURCH  OF  CHRIST,  AS  DELIVERED  IN  THE  APOSTLES  CREED. 


Jmd  1  smc  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach 
unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and 
people.  Saying  with  a  loud  voice,  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him;  fur  the  hour  of  his 
judgment  h  come:  and  worship  him  tliat  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the 
fountains  of  -waters.  REV.  xiv.  6,  7. 

But  when  the  fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman,  made 
under  the  lata,  &c.  GAL.  iv.  4. 

I  Jesus  have  sent  mine  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  in  the  churches.  I  am  the  root  and 
the  offspring  of  Davidj  and  the  bright  and  morning  star.  REY.  xxii.  16. 


^Itabelpbta: 


PRINTED  BY  ABEL  DICKINSON-WHITEHALL. 

FOR  THE  AUTHOR. 

M.DCCC.VIII. 


DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  to  wit: 

•*«•*****       Be  it  remembered,  That  on  the  fifteenth   day  of 
J  t  October,  in  the  thirty-third  Year  of  the  Independence 

*  L.  S.  *  of  the  United  States  of  America,  A.  D.  1808,  William' 
J  *  Christie,  of  the  said  District,  hath  deposited  in  this 

*********  Office,  the  title  of  a  Book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims 
as  Author  in  the  words  following,  to  wit : 

"  Dissertations  on  the  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
"  and  on  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  and  of  Mary;  with 
*'  Proofs  and  Illustrations  from  Holy  Scripture  and  Ecclesiastical  An- 
"  tiquity.  By  William  Christie,  a  Believer  in  the  Doctrine  of 
"  the  primitive  Catholic  Church  of  Christ,  as  delivered  in  the  Apos- 
"  ties  Creed." 

"■  And  I  saw  another  angel  fly  in  the  midst  of  heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  t»  preach 
"•  unto  them  that  d;vell  on  the  earth,  and  to  every  nation,  and  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people, 
"  Saying  with  a  loud  voice,  fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him;  fur  the  hour  if  his  judgment  is 
"  come :  and  worship  him  t/iat  made  heaven,  and  eartlu,  and  the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of 
"  waters.  Rev  xiv.  6,  7." 

"  But  when  the  fulness  of  the  time  -was  come,  God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman, 
"  made  under  the  taw,  ire.  Gal.  iv.  4. ' 

"  /  jcsus  have  sent  »iw:  angel  to  testify  unto  you  these  things  in  t/ie  churches.  I  am  the  root 
':  and  t/te  offspring  of  David,  and  live  bright  and  morning  star.  Rev.  xxii.  16." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  inti- 
tuled, "  An  Act  for  the  Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the 
Copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors 
of  such  Copies  during  the  Times  therein  mentioned."  And  also  to 
the  Act,  entitled  "  An  Act  supplementary  to  an  Act,  entitled,  "An 
Act  for  the  Encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  Copies  of 
Maps,  Charts,^  and  Books,  to  the  Authors  and  Proprietors  of  such 
Copies  during  the  Times  therein  mentioned,"  and  extending  the 
Benefits  thereof  to  the  Arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching 
historical  and  other  Prints." 

D.CALDWELL, 
Clerk  of  the  District  of  Fennsyhania. 


THE 

PREFACE. 


IT  is  now  twenty-four  years  since  I  published  the 
first  Edition  of  my  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity ,  &c. 
(a  work  very  different  from  the  present)  at  Montrose 
in  Scotland,  in  the  year  r/K*.*  Though  this  Edi- 
tion had  the  misfortune  to  be  very  badly  printed,  yet 
it  was  very  well  received  in  England,  and  all  the 
copies  I  sent  to  London  were  disposed  of  in  a  short 
space  of  time. 

This  Treatise  not  only  gave  satisfaction  to  all  my 
Unitarian  friends  in  South  Britain  from  the  Capital 
to  Kendal  in  Westmoreland  ;f  but  several  persons, 

*  The  Title  of  this  work  at  full  length  in  the  first  Edition  was, 
Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity:  or,  A  Scriptural  Proof  and 
Demonstration  of  the  One  Supreme  Deity  of  the  God  and  Father  of  all : 
and  of  the  subordinate  Character  and  inferior  Nature  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  with  a  Confutation  of  the  Doctrine  of  a  Co-equal  and  Consubstan- 
tial  Trinity  in  Unity  ;  and  a  full  reply  to  the  objections  of  Trinitarians. 
By  William  Christie,  Junior,  Merchant  in  Montrose. 

Having  retired  from  business  when  the  second  edition  was  printed, 
and  living  then  in  the  country  at  a  place  called  Woodston,  about  six 
miles  from  Montrose,  the  word  Merchant  in  the  Title  was  changed  into 
the  words,  A  member  of  the  Society  of  Unitarian  Christians  at  Mon- 
trose. The  reason  for  mentioning  this  seemingly  unimportant  cir- 
cumstance will  be  afterwards  discovered. 

f  This  alludes  to  the  late  Rev.  Caleb  Rotheram  then  Dissenting 
Minister  at  Kendal,  an  amiable  and  deserving  person,  and  a  nephew 
of  the  late  learned  Dr.  Benson;  who  visited  me  at  Montrose  on  parti- 
cular business  in  August  1781,  about  the  time  that  the  Society  of  Uni- 
tarian Christians  was  formed  there,  whom  I  afterwards  saw  at  Kendal; 
on  my  return  from  London  and  Birmingham  in  the  year  1783,  and  who 
was  pleased  to  approve  of  the  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity,  when 
they  made  their  appearance. 


IV  THE  PREFACE. 

personally  unknown  to  me,  were  pleased  to  express 
their  approbation  of  it  in  strong  terms ;  and  I  have 
as  many  letters  by  me  from  them  alone  as  would  fill 
a  considerable  pamphlet. 

Among  those  strangers  to  me,  who  wrote  me  on 
this  occasion,  the  most  remarkable  were,  the  late 
learned  Dr.  Harwood,  the  late  venerable  and  excel- 
lent Mr.  Mort  of  Chowbent  near  Wigan,  Lancashire, 
and  a  Clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England. 

Sometime  before  I  heard  from  Dr.  Harivood,  my 
late  ingenious  nephew,  Thomas  Christie,  who  after- 
wards wrote  on  the  French  Revolution  and  on  other 
Topics,  had  written  him  on  the  subject  of  his  View 
of  the  various  Editions  of  the  Greek  and  Latin  Classics, 
which  circumstance  occasioned  the  confusion  of 
persons  which  appears  in  Dr.  Harwood's  letter  to 
me,  and  also  was  the  cause  that  his  letter  came  first 
to  my  nephew,  as  my  nephew's  letter  to  me  on  the 
occasion,  inserted  below,  will  explain.*  My  chief 
reason  for  publishing  Dr.  Harwood' s  letter,  is,  for 
the  sake  of  the  sentiment  contained  in  that  part  of  it 
which  I  have  distinguished  by  Italics,  which,  coming 
from  an  eminent  Greek  Scholar,  and  one  formerly 
attached  to  Arianism,  I  think  deserves  to  be  record- 

*  "  Dear  Uncle,"  » 

"  A  long  time  ago  hearing  that  Dr.  Harwood  was  to  publish  a 
"  new  edition  of  his  book  on  the  Classics,  and  willing  to  contribute 
"  any  thing  in  my  power  towards  the  perfection  of  a  work  so  valuable 
"  to  every  Student,  I  took  the  liberty  to  write  a  letter  to  him  contain- 
"  ing  a  list  of  errors,  omissions,  &c.  which  I  had  observed  in  consult- 
*■*  ing  it,  and  suggesting  some  additions.  I  also  reminded  him  of  his 
"  promise  to  the  public  of  writing  a  third  volume  to  his  Introduction  to 
'*  the  New  Testament,  which  should  contain  an  explication  of  all  the 
"  sacred  phraseologies  from  passages  of  the  Greek  Classics." 

**  As  lie  was  taken  ill  about  the  time,  he  never  gave  me  any  answer, 
**  and  I  never  minded  it  more.  To  day  Anderson  &  Co.  have  sent  me 
"  a  letter  from  him,  which  by  mistake  was  directed  to  you  in  place  of 
"  me.  Inclosed  is  a  sight  of  it.  He  confounds  you  and  me  together, 
"  and  tile  letter  is  a  curious  medley  of  answers  to  me,  and  observa- 
"  tions  which  can  onlv  apply  to  you." 

"  Yours,"  "T.  C." 


THE  PREFACE.  V 

ed.  As  my  nephew  wished  to  correspond  farther 
with  Dr.  Harivood  on  the  subject  of  the  Classics,  I 
returned  the  letter  to  him  but  took  an  exact  copy  of 
it  beforehand,  as  follows. 

"  London,  Dec.  30,  1784." 
"  Worthy  Mr.  Christie," 

"  Sometime  ago  I  had  the  honour  of  receiving 
"  from  you  a  letter  concerning  some  Editions  of  the 
"  Classics,  which  letter  I  mislaid,  and  having  been 
"  long  confined  by  a  dreadful  paralytic  stroke,  I  la- 
"  ment  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  recover.  Little 
"  did  I  then  imagine,  that  the  learned  Gentleman, 
"  who  appeared  to  have  given  so  much  attention  to 
"  the  best  editions  of  the  ancient  writers,  would 
"  have  manifested  in  the  world  such  a  signal  and 
"  striking  proof  of  religious  integrity,  in  displaying 
"  to  a  region  which  for  so  many  centuries  has  been 
"  the  valley  and  shadow  of  death,  the  glorious  ef- 
"  fulgence  of  the  divine  Unity.  I  write  to  thank 
"  you  for  your  learned  and  excellent  discourses, 
"  which  I  have  read  with  great  satisfaction  and  im- 
"  provement.  The  Divine  Unity  stands  on  an  im- 
"  moveable  basis,  whatever  our  trivial  differences 
"  may  be  with  regard  to  the  nature  of  Christ.  /  am 
"  inclined  to  think  that  Socinianism,  when  the  diction 
"  and  phraseology  of  the  New  Testament  are  better 
"  understood,  will  be  found  to  be  the  Doctrine  of 
"  Scripture.  I  have  written  in  favour  of  Arianism 
"  these  twenty  years,  but  I  hesitate,  and  I  have  given 
"  a  proof  of  my  Candour  and  Diffidence  in  my  little 
"  Tract  "  Of  the  Socinian  Scheme.'*  You  are  great- 
"  ly  to  be  commended  not  only  for  your  own  illus- 
"  trious  probity,  but  for  the  exemplary  diiigence 
"  you  have  employed  in  planting  and  watering  a  lit- 


VI  THE  PREFACE. 

*6  tie  church  in  an  extensive  and  populous  country, 
"  which  has  so  long  been  corrupted  with  Trinitarian 
"  Idolatry.  Your  reward  will  be  great.  The  pre- 
*c  sent  satisfaction  indeed  you  must  enjoy  in  the  con- 
"  sciousness  of  having  instituted  and  established 
"  such  a  little  Seminary  of  true  religion,  must  be 
"  the  commencement  of  heaven  to  you.  I  have  suf- 
"  fered  greatly  for  sounding  the  trumpet  of  Arian- 
"  ism  in  Zion  and  protesting  against  a  three  corner- 
*s  ed,  triangular  Divinity,  but  I  do  not  repent  of  my 
<i  uniform  zeal  and  horror  of  Athanasianism.  I  had 
*'  for  a  few  years  a  small  church  in  Bristol,  which  on 
*e  account  of  the  odium  of  my  sentiments,  dwindled 
M  at  last  to  nothing,  and,  having  a  wife  and  six  chil- 
cc  dren,  I  was  fairly  starved  into  a  surrender.  I  took 
ci  refuge  in  this  Town  where  I  have  lived  comfort- 
"  ably  and  have  flourished.  My  two  volumes  of  the 
"  Introduction  to  the  study  and  knowledge  of  the 
*'  N.  T.  are  a  monument  of'  my  Industry.  You, 
"  Sir,  have  done  me  the  honour  in  bearing  witness 
"  to  my  Integrity  and  love  of  truth  in  pointing  out 
<c  several  passages  in  my  Edition  of  the  Gr.  T. 
**  where  I  have  had  the  courage  and  sincerity  to  alter 
<c  or  expunge  obnoxious  readings.  With  the  same 
*'  full  persuasion  of  its  being  the  true  original  read- 
•"  ing  I  have  inscribed  in  the  text  °  e<pxn$Jk.  The 
Ci  same  Phraseology  is  used  in  the  XVI  of  the  Ro- 
"  mans  by  the  same  writer,  and  shows  that  this  dic- 
*6  tion  was  familiar  to  him.  Crippled  as  I  am  by  the 
"  Palsy,  I  could  not  forbear  giving  you  tlu\  small 
"  testimony  to  the  distinguished  merit  of  your  book, 
"  and  sincerely  beg  of  God  to  bless  it  and  its  au- 
"  thor.  I  have  prepared  a  fourth  Edition  of  my 
•"  Book  on  the  Classics,  which,  if  I  live  to  see  it 
"  printed,  for  it  contains  many  additions,  I  will  beg 


THE  PREFACE.  Vll 

**  your  acceptance  of  a  copy.  Do  not  meddle  with 
u  Abba  Jit — he  is  too  weak  a  creature  for  a  person 
"  of  your  strength. 

"  I  am  your  delighted  and  very  much 
"  obliged  Friend, 

EDWARD  HARWOOD. 

"William  Christie,  Junr.     "  Hyde  Street, 
"  Merchant  in  Montrose.  "  Bloomsbury. 

"  To  the  care  of  7 
"  Mr.  Johnson."  > 

Mr.  Morfs  letter  is   expressed  in  the   following 
terms. 

Manchester,  Jan.  11,  1786. 
"  Mr.  Christie, 

Dr.  Sr. 

"  About  70  years  ago  I  was  educated  in  the 
"  Religion  of  the  Assembly  of  Divines,  but  when  I 
"  came  to  a  mature  Age  and  had  gained  a  moderate 
"  Knowledge  of  the  new  Testament  I  could  not  but 
"  see  that  the  Religion  of  Jesus  Christ  was  very  dif- 
"  ferent  from  that  I  had  been  educated  in;  I  there- 
"  fore  renounced  the  last,  and  embraced  the  other, 
"  and  now  for  some  years  past  1  have  thought  that 
"  my  Fidelity  to  Jesus  Christ  obliged  me  to  use  my 
"  best  Abilities  to  expose  this  corrupted  System  of 
"  Christianity  generally  called  Calvinism.  I  there- 
"  fore  endeavoured  to  get  this  Contrast  which  I  now 
"  inclose  to  you  to  have  a  place  in  the  Gentleman's 
"  Magazine ;  but  could  not  prevail.  I  had  there- 
"  lore  no  other  way  to  publish  it  than  to  get  a  large 
"  number  of  these  Papers  printed  and  to  disperse 
"  them.  This  Contrast  will  be  of  no  advantage  to 
"  you,  but  you  cannot  be  displeased  when  I  tell  you, 
"  that  I  see  Christianity  in  the  same  light  as  you  do, 
"  and  you  ought  to  be  pleased  when  I  tell  you,  that 


Vlll  THE   PREFACE. 

"  your  Discourses  to  prove  that  important  Truth  ; 
"  that  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
"  one  supreme  God,  and  only  to  be  worshipped,  are 
"  invincible,  and  still  more  confirm  me  in  the  belief 
"  of  this  important  Truth.  What  a  shameful,  sor- 
"  rowful  matter  is  it,  that  the  Ministers  of  the  Es- 
"  tablished  Religion  in  Scotland  and  England  cannot 
"  be  allowed  to  preach,  'till  they  have  subscribed 
"  their  Belief  of  an  Antichristian,  adulterated  Sys- 
"  tern  of  Christianity.  Surely  such  Antichristian 
"  Establishments  must  have  a  Fall  sometime.  I  am, 
"  tho*  unknown  to  you, 

"  Your  sincere  Friend  and  obedt.  Servt. 

"  JNO.  MORT."* 

"  P.  S.  If  at  any  time,  you  should  have  a  thought 
"  of  honouring  me  with  a  Line  j  my  address  is  at 
"  Chow  Bent,  near  Wigan,  Lancashire." 

"  Mr.  Wm.  Christie,  Junr. 
"  at  Montrose." 


*  Mr.  Mort  died  two  years  after  the  date  of  this  letter.  A  Short 
View  of  his  Life,  Sentiments,  And  Character,  with  a  Sermon  preached 
on  the  occasion  of  his  death,  two  Family  Prayers  composed  by  him, 
and  the  Contrast  mentioned  in  his  letter  to  me,  were  published  by  Mr. 
H.  Toulmin  then  a  Dissenting1  Minister  at  Chowbent,  or  Atherton,  at 
present  a  Judge  in  Tennessee.  A  Character  of  him  was  published  in 
the  Gentleman 's  Magazine  for  February,  1788;  with  some  elegant  lines 
which  Mrs  Birbauld  had  sixteen  years  before  composed  in  his  praise. 
The  following*  is  extracted  from  Mr.  Toulmin's  Short  View  Crc.  p.  73. 
Unitarian  Tracts,  Vol.  8. 

"  The  following  Character  of  Mr  Mort,  fby  Mr.  Joseph  Smith, 
"  of  Liverpool  J  is  inscribed  on  a  slab  of  marble  in  New  Bent  Chapel, 
"  dedicated  to  his  memory  by  Mr.  Peter  Valentine." 

"  This  monument  is  erected  as  a  testimony  of  veneration  for  the 
"  character  of  Mr.  John  Mort,  the  last  male  representative  of  a  highly 
"  respectable  family,  and  long  a  distinguished  member  of  this  reli- 
"  gious  society  :  who  ended  a  life  of  usefulness  and  honour,  on  the 
"  12th  day  of  January,  1788,  in  the  86th  year  of  his  age.  The  leisure 
"  he  enioyed  from  the  avocations  of  business,  was  principally  devoted 
"  to  the  study  of  the  scriptures ;  and  unlearned  in  the  subtleties  of 
"  scholastic  divinity,  his  enquiries  were  directed  by  the  light  of  a 
**  clear  understanding,  and  the  dictates  of  an  upright  heart.  The  un- 
"  remitting  zeal,  witli  which  he  endeavoured  to  propagate  the  princi- 
"  pies  of  Christian  truth,  furnishes  an  example  to  those  who  are  de- 


THE  PREFACE.  IX 

The  Clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  before- 
mentioned,  wrote  me  no  less  than  four  letters  from 
the  year  1784  to  1788  :  the  two  first  of  these  letters 
I  shall  here  transcribe,  with  my  reply  to  the  second ; 
as  they  present  the  picture  of  a  truly  pious  and  hum- 
ble mind,  anxious,  impartial,  and  sincere  in  its  in- 
quiries after  truth,  and  willing  to  receive  it  from 
whatever  hand  it  might  come ;  and  my  answer  will 
show  the  state  of  my  mind  at  that  time,  and  that  I 
have  not  been  precipitate  in  deciding  upon  the  ques- 
tion concerning  the  Pre-existence  of  Christ. 

"  I  beg  leave,  Sir,  to  present  you  my  sincere 
"  thanks  for  the  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction  I 
"  have  received  from  the  perusal  of  your  excellent 
"  discourses,  and  cannot  forbear  taking  the  liberty 
"  to  add  that  they  do  you  singular  credit  as  an  able 
"  and  judicious  patron  of  the  doctrine  you  have  so 
"  candidly  maintained.  To  this  doctrine  of  the  di- 
"  vine  unity — which  I  hope  is  daily  gaining  ground — 
"  I  long  ago  gave  my  hearty  assent,  and  was  glad  to 
'*  find  in  my  late  worthy  neighbour  and  friend  Mr. 

"  voted  to  theology  by  profession.  His  religion  did  not  terminate  in 
"  mere  speculation :  the  uniform  fidelity  he  maintained,  was  only 
"  equalled  by  the  ardor  of  his  benevolence,  and  the  simplicity  of  his 
"  manners.  By  the  force  of  personal  character,  he  retained  a  patriarch- 
"  al  authority  in  his  neighbourood,  to  the  last.  Though  born  to  a  libe- 
**  ral  fortune,  which  was  improved  by  a  regular,  and  successful  indus- 
"  try,  he  disdained  the  purposes  of  vulgar  ambition,  and  studiously  em- 
'*  ployed  the  bounty  of  heaven,  in  relieving  the  sorrows  of  nature,  and 
"  extending  the  happiness  of  life.  Every  public-spirited  design  lie  wis 
"  forward  to  promote  :  he  was  open  as  the  day  to  melting  charity,  and 
"  plain  hearted  hospitality  was  ever  found  beneath  his  roof.  The  habi- 
"  tual  devotion  of  his  mind  and  the  consciousness  of  useful  exertions, 
"  produced  that  cheerfulness,  which  even  old  age  was  unable  to  im- 
"  pair ;  nor  did  he  survive  either  the  vigour  of  his  understanding,  or 
"  the  sensibility  of  his  heart,  the  fervour  of  his  piety,  or  his  generous 
"  attachment  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  truth.  Through  temperance 
"  and  exercise,  his  life,  though  long,  was  unembittered  by  sickness. 
"  His  death  was  almost  instant,  and  without  a  groan." 

"READER," 

"  While  you  revere  his  character,  endeavour  to  copy  his  example  " 

[2   j 


X  THE  PREFACE. 

"  Lindsey's  history  of  it,  that  it  had  found  a  kind  of 
"  establishment  under  your  immediate  patronage  at 
"  Montrose.  Please  to  accept  my  sincere  and  ar- 
"  dent  wishes  for  the  prosperity  of  your  congrega- 
"  tion,  and  the  success  of  that  doctrine  which  you 
"  profess. 

"  Though  you  have  not  any  where  in  your  dis- 
"  courses — as  far  as  I  can  recollect — given  your 
"  opinion  directly  and  explicitly  of  the  existence  of 
"  Jesus  Christ,  yet  I  conclude  that  you  do  not  in  that 
"  point  coincide  with  Mr.  Lindsey.  In  my  humble 
"  opinion  indeed,  his  opinion  upon  this  subject  is 
"  liable  to  insuperable  objections,  and  his  explication 
"  of  the  beginning  of  St.  John's  gospel,  has — I 
"  think — been  fully  refuted  by  a  friend  and  neigh- 
"  bour  of  mine  in  a  pamphlet  intitled,  Objections  to 
"  Mr.  Lindsey's  interpretation  of  the  first  fourteen 
"  verses  of  St.  John's  gospel — printed  for  Johnson, 
"  London,  and  Charnley,  Newcastle.  The  expres- 
"  sion  «  xpyj  at  the  beginning  of  this  gospel,  though 
"  coinciding  exactly  with  the  septuagint  version  of 
"  the  beginning  of  Genesis,  will — I  allow — fairly 
"  admit  of  a  different  and  more  probable  interpreta- 
"  tion  than  the  Trinitarians  give  it ;  yet  there  are 
"  many  other  passages  in  the  N.  T.  which  appear  to 
"  me  so  fully  in  favour  of  Christ's  pre-existence, 
"  that  *here  is  no  necessity  for  laying  any  particular 
"  stress  upon  this.  My  doubts — I  will  candidly  ac- 
"  knowledge  to  you — respect  the  mode  of  worship 
"  which  is  due  to  Christ,  divine  worship  is  out  of 
"  the  question ;  but  the  scripture  according  to  my 
"  conception,  seems  to  authorise  or  rather  injoin 
"  some.  Upon  this  subject  I  am  still  undetermined, 
"  and  must  take  the  liberty  to  request  your  kind 
"  concurrence  and  assistance  to  enable  me  to  come 
"  to  a  clear  and  satisfactory  conclusion.  The  im- 
"  pbrtance  of  this  point  to  me  and  every  sincere 


THE  PREFACE.  XI 

"  christian,  will  I  am  persuaded — be  a  sufficient 
"  apology  for  thus  addressing  a  person  whom  I  have 
"  not  the  pleasure  of  knowing  personally.  Your 
"  obliging  communications  upon  this  subject  will  be 
"  esteemed  a  particular  obligation  by,  Sir, 
"  Yr.  hble  Servt. 

"  The  Revd  ******  ******** 
"  Master  of  *******  School" 
"  Mr.  Christie  junr."  "  near  *********** 

«  Merchant"  "  Yorkshire." 

"  Montrose" 

"  Scotland." 

«  Sir," 

"  1  received  so  much  pleasure  and  inform 
"  from  the  perusal  of  your  excellent  unitarian  dis- 
"  courses,  that  about  six  months  ago,  I  took  the 
"  liberty  of  addressing  a  letter  to  you,  containing 
"  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for  them.  As  this 
"  letter  was  not  merely  complimentary,  but  express- 
"  ed  likewise  a  desire,  that  you  would  oblige  me 
"  with  your  opinion  of  the  pre-existence  of  Jesus 
"  Christ ;  and  proofs  for  and  against  this  much  con- 
"  troverted  and  important  doctrine,  I  conclude  it  has 
"  not  reached  you.  From  that  ingenuous  freedom 
"  of  research  with  which  you  had  so  successfully 
*'  studied  the  scriptures,  and  that  candour  and  sin- 
"  cerity  with  which  you  had  communicated  the  re- 
"  suit  of  your  enquiries  to  the  public,  I  concluded 
"  that  you  would  not  refuse  giving  any  information. 
"  in  your  power  upon  these  subjects,  even  to  a  per- 
"  son  totally  unknown  to  you.  Your  speedy  answer 
"  to  this,  will,  I  am  persuaded,  convince  me,  that 
"  I  have  not  made  a  false  estimate  of  your  character 
"  and  disposition.  I  need  not  perhaps  inform  you 
"  that  I  am,  and  have  long  been  fully  convinced  of 
*'  the  truth  of  that  doctrine  which  you  maintain  so 


XU  THE  PREFACE. 

"  ably  in  your  discourses ;  and  that  I  had  the  plea- 
"  sure  and  satisfaction  of  knowing  Mr.  Lindsey's 
"  sentiments  upon  these  matters,  before  his  resigna- 
"  tion  of  the  vicarage  of  Catterick  in  my  neighbour- 
M  hood.  I  most  sincerely  wish  prosperity  to  that 
"  unitarian  congregation  over  which  you  so  laudably 
"  preside,  and  am  respectfully," 
«  Sir," 

"  Yr.  obliged  Humb.  Servt." 

cc    #####*    ######>» 

"  Master  of  *******  School" 
cc  npar  *#***##*#', 

"  Mr.  Wm.  Christie  Junr."  "  Yorkshire." 

"  Merchant" 
off  "  Montrose" 

«  Scotland." 

"  Montrose,  20th  July,  1785." 
"  Rev.  Sir," 

"  I  received  both  your  polite  and 
"  obliging  letters,  and  must  own  myself  to  blame 
*'  in  not  replying  sooner  to  the  first  of  them.  I  es- 
"  teem  it  an  honour,  that  any  thing  I  am  capable  of 
"  writing  should  give  pleasure  and  satisfaction  to  a 
"  Gentleman  of  good  sense  and  learning.  I  am  at 
"  the  same  time  sorry  that  I  cannot  at  present  give 
"  you  that  farther  information  you  desire.  I  am 
"  myself  in  a  state  of  suspence  with  regard  to  the 
"  pre-existence  of  Christ ;  and  have  been  so  for 
"  some  years  past.  I  find  very  considerable  argu- 
"  ments  on  both  sides  of  the  question,  and  think  it 
*'  better  to  hesitate  for  sometime  than  to  decide  hasti- 
*'  ly  upon  insufficient  grounds.  I  am  notwithstand- 
4,1  ing  a  most  determined  Unitarian,  and  have  the 
"  fullest  conviction  of  the  Father's  sole  and  supreme 
"  Godhead.  Being  in  this  state  of  mind  when  I 
,c  wrote  the  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity^  I  endea- 


THE  PREFACE.  Xlll 

"  voured  on  texts  of  doubtful  interpretation  to  state 
*c  the  arguments  of  Arians  and  Socinians  with  all 
"  the  candour  and  fairness  I  was  capable  of,  that 
"  the  reader  might  judge  and  determine  for  himself. 
'*  I  am  however  taking  measures  for  the  settlement 
"  of  my  mind,  and  to  bring  myself  if  possible  to  a 
"  decision  upon  this  subject. 

"  I  propose  to  study  the  phraseology  and  various 
"  readings  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  with 
"  greater  critical  exactness  than  ever  I  have  hitherto 
"  done :  and  also  to  peruse  with  care  the  earliest 
"  Writers  of  the  Christian  Church.  This  enquiry 
"  must  necessarily  take  some  time,  as  it  must  be 
"  conducted  with  great  coolness  and  deliberation.  If 
"  in  the  course  of  it  I  am  able  to  acquire  any  new 
"  light,  or  to  arrive  at  any  farther  satisfaction,  I  shall 
"  gladly  impart  it  to  any  sincere  inquirer  after  truth  ; 
"  and  to  none  more  readily  than  you,  Sir,  who  have 
"  done  me  the  honour  of  writing  me  upon  the  sub- 
"  ject.  I  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  occasional- 
"  ly,  and  heartily  wishing  you  that  solid  and  well 
"  grounded  peace  of  mind  which  arises  from  the  se- 
"  rious  belief  and  practice  of  rational  religion," 
"  I  remain," 

"  Dear  Sir," 

"  Your  obed.  hum.  Servt." 
"  WILLIAM  CHRISTIE." 
"  The  Rev.  Mr.  ******," 
"  Master  of  *******  School" 
"  near  *********" 
"  Yorkshire." 

The  other  two  letters  from  this  Gentleman  are  too 
long  to  be  inserted  in  this  Preface:  but  they  do  ho- 
nour to  his  abilities  as  a  critic,  a  scholar,  and  a  man 
of  candour.  He  appears  still  to  be  undetermined 
with  respect  tp  the  Pre-existence  of  Christ,  but  to 


XIV  THE  PREFACE. 

lean  rather  more  to  Arianism  than  Socinianism,  and 
in  the  last  of  the  two  he  mentions,  that  his  religious 
principles  had  obliged  him  to  withdraw  from  offici- 
ating and  worshipping  in  the  established  Church.  If 
this  worthy  Clergyman  be  yet  alive,  he  will  have  an 
opportunity  (though  at  a  long  interval  of  time)  from 
the  present  work  of  seeing  the  result  of  my  inquiries 
with  respect  to  the  Pre-existence  of  Christ,  and  it 
will  afford  me  a  singular  pleasure,  if  he  can  join  in 
my  conclusion  on  the  subject. 

A  second  and  larger  Edition  of  the  Discourses  on 
the  Divine  Unity  was  published  at  'Montrose  in  1790, 
of  which  my  friend  Mr.  Palmer  was  a  zealous  pro- 
moter.*    The  sale  of  this  was  still  more  rapid  than 

*  Thomas  Fyshe  Palmer,  B.  A.  M.  A.  B.  D.  Felhm  of  Shteen'^ 
College,  Cambridge,  and  originally  a  Clergyman  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, was  a  younger  son  of  an  ancient  and  respectable  family  in  Bed- 
fordshire in  England.  From  his  connection  with  persons  of  rank  and 
influence,  he  might  have  risen  to  high  preferment  in  the  established 
Church,  could  he  have  brought  his  noble  and  Christian  mind  to  con- 
tinue to  submit  to  the  yoke  of  a  Subscription  to  Anticliristian  articles 
of  Faith.  But  he  generously  broke  his  fetters,  and  asserted  the  liber- 
ty zuhereioith  Christ  had  made  him  free;  (Gal.  v.  1.)  and  cheerfully 
gave  up  very  flattering  worldly  views  and  prospects  for  the  love  of 
God,  and  for  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ,  (Rev.  i.  9). 

I  knew  nothing  about  Mr.  Palmer  nor  his  concerns  till  July  178,1, 
when  being  in  London,  I  was  agreeably  surprised  with  receiving  the 
following  letter  from  him,  which  had  been  first  sent  to  Montrose,  but 
was  returned  me  to  London  from  thence. 

"  Shteen's  Coll:  Cambridge,  July  14th,  1733." 

«  Dr.  Sir," 

"  A  new  publication  by  Mr.  Lindsey,  entitled,  The 
"  History  of  the  Unitarians  since  the  reformation,  which  he  was  so 
"  obliging  to  send  me  the  other  day,  first  made  me  happy  with  the 
"  intelligence  of  the  Unitarian  Society  at  Montrose,  and  with  your 
"  name.  Indeed  I  was  seldom  ever  more  affected  with  joy  and  grati- 
"  tude  to  the  Great  Being  for  having  vouchsafed  to  extend  the  know- 
"  ledge  of  himself  so  far.  As  a  partaker  of  your  joy,  and  fellow- 
"  worshipper  of  Him,  you  will  allow  me  to  give  you  the  reasons  why 
"  I  trouble  you  with  this." 

"  I  must  begin  with  telling  you,  that  I  am  to  my  sorrow  a  Clergy - 
<;  man  of  the  Church  of  England.  But  as  I  think  her  liturgy  corrupt 
"  and  antichristian,  and  her  articles  to  be  not  only  an  injurious  viola- 
««  tion  of  the  liberty  wherewith  God  and  Christ  have  made  me  free, 
"  but  a  jumble  of  absurdity  and  impiety,  I  have  declined  the  accept- 
"  ance  of  all  preferment  at  the  dear   price  of  swearing  these  to  be 


THE  PREFACE.  XV 

the  former  Edition:  in  1792  there  was  not  a  copy 
to  be  had  in  London  or  Edinburgh. 

The  Unitarian  Society  of  London  who  had  taken 
off  a  considerable   part  of  this    Edition,  and   had 

'*  true  and  agreeable  to  scripture,  which  I  believe  to  contain  so  many 
"  gross  and  shocking  falsehoods.  With  such  opposite  sentiments  how 
"  can  I  ever  unite  with  her  ?  I  am  persuaded  she  is  very  erroneous  in 
"  many  points,  but  in  none  more  than  in  the  object  of  her  worship.  I 
"  profess  myself  a  zealous  worshipper  of  The  Only  True  God,  whom 
"  only  to  serve,  my  Teacher  and  Master  said,  was  the  first  and  great- 
"  est  of  all  commandments.  Convinced  as  I  am  both  by  reason  and 
"  revelation  of  this  most  important  of  all  known  truths,  I  dare  not,  it 
"  would  be  Idolatry  in  me  to  join  in  the  Church's  service  of  three 
"  Gods,  and  in  her  litany  service  of  four  Gods.  For  these  reasons  I 
"  have  quitted  all  connexion  as  much  as  possible  with  her.  But  being 
"  a  member  of  this  University  and  fellow  of  a  College,  I  feel  the 
"  force  of  decency  and  decorum  obliging  me  to  attend  the  daily  ser- 
"  vice  of  the  Chapel,  while  a  much  more  powerful  motive  obliges  me 
"  never  to  go.  Yet  this  is  a  kind  of  halting  between  two  opinions,  it  is 
"  unmanly,  it  is  unbecoming  him  who  is  not  ashamed  of  his  God,  but 
••  who  thinks  it  his  highest  priviledge,  honour,  and  happiness,  to  be 
"  permitted  to  be  his  lowliest  servant,  and  to  profess  himself  so 
"  openly." 

"  Pressed  by  these  difficulties  and  others  of  a  like  kind  which  it  is 
"  not  necessary  to  mention,  I  thought  Montrose  might  be  an  asylum 
"  to  me  for  a  year  or  two,  till  I  had  gotten  information  enough  in  that 
"book"  (meaning  the  Bible)  "to  dispense  it  to  others.  Where  in 
"  the  mean  time  I  could  worship  the  Father  of  Mercies  according  to 
"  my  conscience,  could  enjoy  the  union  of  brother  Christians,  and 
"  miglit  possibly  build  and  be  built  up  by  them." 

Mr.  Palmer  speaks  afterwards  of  private  concerns,  and  concludes 
in  the  following  manner. 

"  May  the  Father  of  mercies  smile  upon  your  little  society,  may  it 
"  be  the  nursing  mother  to  the  whole  kingdom  to  bring  it  back  to  the 
"  long  lost  truth,  the  worship  of  only  him.  May  every  spiritual,  and 
«•  every  temporal  blessing  fitting  in  the  eye  of  infinite  benevolence  be 
"  your  portion  is  the  hearty  prayer  of 
"  Sir," 

"  Your  most  obednt." 
"  Humble  Servant" 

"THOMAS  FYSIIE  PALMER" 

"  Mr.  Christie  Merchant" 
"  Montrose" 

"  Angus  Shire" 
"post,  paid"  "  Scotland." 

Mr.  Palmer  and  I  exchanged  letters  together  while  I  remained  in 
London,  and  afterwards  when  I  returned  to  Montrose,  till  towards  the 
end  of  November,  when  with  a  manly  resolution  he  bade  farewell  to 
the  University  and  the  Church  of  England  together,  and  took  his  pas- 
sage from  London,  in  a  Scotch  vessel  bound  for  Aberdeen,  where  he  &•.•• 


XVI  THE  PREFACE. 

adopted  the  work  into  the  number  of  their  books, 
proposed  to  me  in  1794,  through  the  medium  or 
their  Secretary  the  Rev.  Thomas  Morgan,  to  have  a 
third  Edition  printed  at  their  own  expence  5  but  for 

rived  safely  in  a  course  of  tempestuous  weather,  and  proceeded  from 
that  place  to  Montrose,  which  he  readied  December  4th,  1783  ;  and  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  first  seeing1  and  embracing1  him. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  active  and  zealous  in  propagating  the  Unitarian 
Doctrine  in  Scotland,  both  by  preaching  and  the  distribution  of  Pam- 
phlets. He  was  my  Colleague  at  Montrose  till  about  May  or  June  1785, 
when  he  went  to  see  his  friends  in  England,  and  on  his  return  to  Scot- 
land in  Autumn  that  year,  he  settled  in  Dundee  a  populous  town  and 
much  larger  than  Montrose,  where  by  his  zeal  and  assiduity  he  soon 
raised  an  Unitarian  Congregation.  He  visited  Montrose  occasionally, 
and  other  places,  and  was  chiefly  instrumental,  in  connection  with  my- 
self and  others,  in  forming  the  Unitarian  Societies  of  Edinburgh,  Glas- 
gow, Arbroath,  Forfar,  and  Newburgh.  He  once  made  an  excursion  in- 
to England,  and  preached  powerfully  at  Newcastle  and  other  places. 
In  1792,  he  settled  for  a  time  in  Edinburgh,  where  his  preaching  at 
first  had  a  surprising  effect,  and  excited  the  attention  both  of  Lawyers 
and  Physicians  ;  but  unhappily  about  this  time  the  political  Societies 
that  were  formed  in  Scot  land  in  conseqnence  of  the  French  Revolution, 
diverted  the  attention  of  many  from  religion  and  excited  mutual  ran- 
cour and  hatred ;  and  in  the  end  brought  about  a  mournful  reverse 
in  the  affairs  of  my  unfortunate  friend.  Mr.  Palmer's  conduct  how- 
ever was  steady  and  upright,  and  he  fell  the  innocent  victim  of  a  pack- 
ed Jury  and  a  partial  and  courtly  Judge. 

See,  The  Trial  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Fyshe  Palmer,  Before  the 
Circuit  Court  of  Justiciary,  Held  at  Perth,  on  the  12th  and  13th  Sep- 
tember, 1793,  on  an  Indictment  for  Seditious  Practices.  With  A  n  A  p  - 
PEsmx,  containing  various  pieces,  also  Mr.  Palmer's  Defence, 
Which  he  intended  to  have  delivered,  Had  he  not  employed  Counsel.  With 
A  Preface  by  W.  Skirvinc.  Edinburgh,  1793. 

Mr.  Palmer's  Sermons  were  generally  learned  and  well  composed  : 
he  was  the  author  of  several  ingenious  and  original  Essays  in  the  5th 
and  6th  volumes  of  the  Theological  Repository,  under  the  signature  of 
Anglo  Scotus.     While  at  Edinburgh  he  published  a  Pamphlet,  entitled, 

An  Attempt  to  refute  a  Sermon  by  H.  D.  Inglis,  on  the  Godhead  of 
Jesus  Christ,  And  to  restore  the  long  lost  Truth  of  the  frst  Command- 
ment: By  T.  Fyshe  Palmer,  Member  of  the  Unitarian  Congregation 
at  Dundee. 

This  piece  is  written  with  much  ease  and  vivacity,  and  some  strong 
argument,  and  is  a  picture  of  Mr.  Palmer's  free  and  unconstrained 
manner  of  delivering  his  Sentiments.  The  Address  prefixed,  To  the 
Unitarian  Congregations  of  Edinburgh,  Dundee,  Forfar,  Arbroath,  Mon- 
trose, and  New/mrgh,  is  an  admirable  Composition,  and  after  some 
animated  exhortations  to  his  brethren  to  act  with  fearless  integrity, 
zeal,  and  perseverance  in  the  great,  important  cause  of  Unitarianism, 
it  concludes  in  the  following  manner. 

"  If  active  zeal  can  spread  the  abasing  and  idolatrous  superstition 
"  of  a  popular  sect,  what  succtss  must  attend  equal  exertions  in  a  ra- 


THE  PREFACE.  XVII 

a  particular  reason  I  declined  the  proposal ;  though 
I  now  repent  that  I  did  decline  it,  as  the  object  I  had 
then  in  view  did  not  succeed.  In  future,  if  that  So- 
ciety shall  incline  to  reprint  that  work,  they  have 

"  tional  service  of  the  Deity,  which,  issuing1  from  him,  will  be  found 
"  every  way  worthy  of  him,  and  has  all  that  can  captivate  our  reason, 
"  and  warm  and  amend  the  heart.  Let  us  not  be  slothful  then,  Breth- 
"  ren,  but  fervent  in  spirit,  servingthe  Lord,  always  abounding' in  his 
"  work,  forasmuch  as  we  know  that  our  labour  will  not  be  in  vain." 

"  But  while  we  are  filled  with  zeal,  let  us,  at  the  same  time,  be 
"  filled  with  equal  charity;  while  we  endeavour  to  root  out  the  error, 
"  let  us  love  the  erroneous,  remembering,  that  universal  love,  without. 
"  the  distinction  of  sect  or  party,  and  undissembled  active  benevo- 
"  lence,  are  the  mark  and  criterion  of  being  disciples  of  Him  who 
t*  laid  down  his  life  for  those  that  rejected  his  doctrine." 

"  Thus,  by  our  reverence  and  attachment  to  the  Almighty,  and  by 
"  our  love  to  our  brethren  of  mankind,  may  we  adorn  his  Gospel  and 
"  cause  many  to  glorify  Our  Father,  that  so  we  may  be  filled  with  the 
"  unspeakable  consolation  of  his  being  our  great  and  everlasting  re- 
"  ward." 

"  Farewell,  my  Dear  Brethren,  bound  to  you  by  a  love  which  no- 
"  thing  but  the  Gospel  can  inspire,  I  am,  your  affectionate  Brother  in 
"  Christ, 

"T.  F.  PALMER." 

"  Edinburgh,  May  24.  1792." 

In  the  Monthly  Magazine  for  February  1804,  p.  83,  there  is  publish- 
ed an  Account  of  the  lute  Mr.  Thomas  Fyshe  Palmer,  in  which,  several 
particulars  of  his  life  are  related,  his  voyage  to  New  Holland  in  conse- 
quence of  the  iniquitous  sentence  passed  upon  him,  and  residence 
there  for  seven  years,  the  term  of  his  exile.  According  to  this  Ac- 
count, the  vessel  in  which  Mr.  Palmer,  his  friend  Mr.  Ellis,  and  others 
were  embarked  with  aview  to  return  to  Great  Britain,  being  in  a  cra- 
zy condition,  occasioned  much  delay,  inconvenience,  and  distress,  and 
at  last  they  were  obliged  to  take  refuge  in  Guam  a  Spanish  island  and 
surrender  themselves  prisoners.  They  were  treated  with  hospitality 
by  the  Spanish  Governor ;  but  Mr.  Palmer  was  seized  with  a  Dysen- 
tery, under  which  disorder  he  lingered  for  sometime,  but  a  mortifica- 
tion taking  place,  he  was  relieved  by  death  from  all  his  troubles  on  the 
second  day  of  June  1801-  From  what  Mr.  Palmer  once  told  me,  he 
must  have  been  about  55  or  56  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Rev.  xiv.  12,  13.  Here  is  the  patience  of  the  saints  :  here  are  they  that 
keep  the  commandments  of  God,  and  the  faith  of  yesus.  And  I  heard  a 
voice  from  heaven,  saying  unto  me,  Write,  Blessed  are  the  dead  which 
die  in  the  Lord,  from  henceforth :  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labours  ;  and  their  works  do  follow  them. 

It  may  appear  at  first  sight  strange,  and  unaccountable,  that  a  man 
who  gave  up  such  flattering  worldly  prospects  as  Mr.  Palmer  did  for 
the  sake  of  the  Gospel,  and  laboured  zealously  ten  years  in  Scotland 
without  a  Salary,  fee,  or  reward  in  preaching  and  propagating  the 
Unitarian  doctrine,  should  be  condemned  to  a  seven  vears  exile  in  a 


[3] 


XV111  THE  PREFACE. 

my  full  consent  to  do  so  ;  for  I  do  not  consider  it  as 
superseded  by  the  present  Treatise,  which  is  com- 
posed on  quite  a  different  plan.  All  I  have  to  say 
is,  that  if  it  ever  shall  be  reprinted,  the  Editor  will 
do  me  the  justice  to  say  in  an  Advertisement  prefix- 
ed to  the  work,  that  I  adhere  to  the  proper  Unitarian 
interpretations  of  Scripture  contained  in  it ;  and  that 
I  consider  the  Arian  comments  as  no  farther  useful 
than  as  a  matter  of  information  or  curiosity. 

When  I  composed,  first  printed,  and  reprinted, 
these  Discourses,  I  was  in  possession  of  a  far  more 
numerous  collection  of  theological  books  than  I  have 
immediately ;  consisting  of  a  formidable  body  of 
Fathers,  Commentators,  biblical  critics,  &c.  among 
which  books  were  more  than  twenty  Editions  of  the 
Greek  Testament,  the  English  Polyglott,  Dr.  Ken- 
nicott's  hebrew  bible,  Woide's  Fac  Simile  of  the  Alex- 
distant,  desolate,  and  ill-inhabited  country,  among  the  refuse  of  the  hu- 
man species,  and  after  experiencing-  and  surviving  so  many  hardships 
should  perish  on  his  return  to  his  native  land,  a  prisoner  in  a  remote 
Spanish  settlement.  But  if  we  take  a  retrospect  of  the  moral  Govern- 
ment of  God,  and  the  dispensations  of  divine  Providence  in  different 
ages,  we  shall  find  that  similar  afflictive  trials  have  been  often  the  lot 
of  the  righteous.  The  Worthies,  recorded  in  Heb.  xi.  of  whom  the 
Viorld  was  not  worthy,  were  subjected  to  cruel  sufferings,  they  wander- 
ed ■about  in  sheep-skins,  and  goat  skins,  being  destitute,  afflicted,  torment- 
ed { they  wandered  in   deserts,  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens  and 

caves  of  the  earth.  John  the  baptist  for  his  honest  detestation  and  cen- 
sure of  Vice,  fell  a  victim  to  the  malice  and  revenge  of  a  lewd  wo- 
man. John  the  Apostle  was  banished  by  the  tyrant;  Domitian  to  the 
isle  of  Patinas;  Peter  is  said  to  have  been  crucified  and  Paul  behead- 
ed :  and  many  others  have  suffered  in  like  manner  in  different  ages. 
But  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  temporal  decisions  and  judg- 
ments shall  be  rejudged:  when  the  real  and  disinterested  friends  of 
truth  and  piety  ;  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  ;  shall  lift  up  their  heads 
with  joy;  and  their  oppressors  (though  at  present  they  maybe  seat- 
ed on  thrones,  or  wearing  the  robes  of  Justice,  if  they  have  not  avert- 
ed the  divine  displeasure  by  repentance  and  reformation)  shall  say  to 
the  mountains  and  rocks,  Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the  face  of  him 
thatsitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath  of  the  Lamb:  For  the  great 
day  oj  his  wrath  is  come ;  and  who  shall  be  able  to  stand?  Rev.  vi.  15  to 
17.  N.  B.  Though  this  passage  in  its  more  immediate  sense  may  re- 
spect the  downfall  of  Paganism  ;  yet  it  is  not  improbably  supposed  by 
some  Commentators,  that  it  may  have  a  typical  reference  to  the  day 
of  Judgment. 


THE  PREFACE.  XIX 

andrian  Manuscript   to   which  I  was  a  Subscriber, 
Lexicons,  Concordances,  &c. 

I  was  at  great  pains  in  consulting  and  comparing 
the  various  readings  of  that  all-important  book,  the 
Greek  Testament,  in  Mill,  Kuster,  Wetstein,  Gries- 
bach,  and  sometimes  the  Polyglott ;  and  therefore  in 
this  present  work  I  refer  occasionally  to  these  Dis- 
burses with  respect  to  the  various  readings. 

In  1791,  having  been  greatly  moved  by  the  ac- 
counts of  the  horrid  riot  at  Birmingham,  I  wrote  and 
published,  An  Essay  on  Ecclesiastical  Establishments 
in  Religion  :  shewing  their  hurtful  tendency  ;  and  that 
they  cannot  be  defended,  either  on  Principles  of  Reason 
or  Scripture.  To  which  are  annexed,  Two  Discourses 
on  Rev.  xiv.  In  the  following  year  I  took  my  Fare- 
well of  the  Society  of  Unitarian  Christians  at  Mon- 
trose in  a  Discourse  delivered  November  1 8,  1 792, 
but  not  published  till  Spring  1794  ;  when  I  removed 
from  the  neighbourhood  of  Montrose  to  Glasgow. 

At  this  period,  having  carried  on  my  inquiries  as 
far  as  I  thought  it  possible  I  could  do,  and  being 
then  in  the  forty-fourth  year  of  my  age  and  arrived 
at  full  maturity  of  judgment,  I  made  a  positive  deci- 
sion on  the  subject  of  the  Pre-existence  of  Christ ; — 
rejecting  it  as  a  notion  not  consistent  with  the  general 
tenor  of  Scripture  or  the  nature  of  things,  unwar- 
ranted by  the  Apostles  Creed,  and  the  purest  re- 
mains and  most  authentic  accounts  of  Ecclesiastical 
Antiquity. 

It  does  not  follow,  though  I  was  so  long  in  coming 
to  a  conclusion  on  this  subject,  that  others  should  be 
so  too  ;  or  that  there  is  any  great  dubiety  or  difficul- 
ty in  the  question.  I  have  sometimes  a  blameable 
timidity  and  hesitation  in  my  temper,  and  I  believe 
that  having  received  the  first  impressions  of  Unitari- 
anism,  when  very  young,  from  Dr.  Clark,  and  other 
eminent  Semi  Arian,  or  Arian  Writers,  these  early 


XX  THE  PREFACE. 

impressions  stuck  long  upon  my  mind,  and  made  the 
decision  a  more  difficult  task  to  me  than  otherwise  it 
would  have  been.  I  passed  in  a  course  of  years, 
through  all  the  different  stages  of  high  Arianism, 
proper  Arianism,  low  Arianism,  and  a  state  of  Sus- 
pense, till  at  last  I  found  rest  for  my  soul  in  the  scheme 
of  the  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord  ;  in  which  last 
system  I  can  truly  say,  that  I  have  had  more  peace 
of  mind,  joy,  and  comfort  in  religion  than  I  ever 
had  before  I  adopted  it ;  and  therefore  I  have  no  rea- 
son to  repent  of  my  determination. But  leav- 
ing all  these  past  events  and  considerations,  I  come 
now  to  speak  upon  the  subject  of  the  present  Dis- 
sertations. 

My  previous  studies  having  qualified  me  for  ex- 
ecuting a  work  of  this  kind,  I  composed  these  Dis- 
sertations at  leisure  hours  in  Spring,  Summer,  and 
Autumn,  1794,  in  the  city  of  Glasgow,  and  deliver- 
ed each  of  them  when  composed,  the  same  year,  to 
the  members  of  the  Society  of  Unitarian  Christians 
in  that  city,  and  others  who  attended,  at  their  place 
of  worship.  I  had  been  previously  invited  to  Glas- 
gow with  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Unitarian 
Congregation  there,  and  the  approbation  of  their 
former  Preacher  the  Rev.  Bartholomew  Spencer,  who 
wrote  me  a  very  kind  letter  on  the  subject,  and  re- 
moved soon  after  my  arrival  to  attend  the  medical 
College  in  Edinburgh,  and  from  thence  to  Birming- 
ham,  where  he  proposed  to  practise  as  a  Physician.* 

*  Mi".  Spencer  had  formerly  been  a  baptist  Minister  in  England,  and 
had  given  up  his  congregation  in  consequence  of  his  having  embraced 
Unitarian  principles.  He  came  to  Edinburgh  and  commenced  the  stu- 
dy of  medicine.  I  first  saw  him  in  that  city  in  the  year  1791,  by  means 
of  the  late  worthy  Mr.  James  Purves,  and  was  much  pleased  with  his 
conversation.  He  afterwards  went  to  Glasgow,  and  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Palmer  was  useful  in  forwarding  the  progress  of  Unitarianism  in 
that  city.  He  was  an  edifying  and  agreeable  Preacher,  and  possessed 
talents  for  argumentation  and  debate.  I  visited  his  congregation  at 
Glasgow  in  December  1792,  and  delivered  some  discourses  to  them, 
which  visit,  with  other  previous  circumstances,  laid  the  foundation  of 
my  removal  to  that  city  afterwards. 


THE  PREFACE.  XXI 

These  Dissertations,  composed  and  first  delivered 
as  beforementioned,  are  in  general  the  result  of  an 
impartial  and  critical  investigation  of  the  sense  of 
Scripture,  of  much  study,  research,  and  application, 
joined  with  extensive  reading  of  the  best  Unitarian 
Writers  in  Latin  and  English.  Some  advantages  I 
have  no  doubt  derived  from  the  perusal  of  every  au- 
thor of  merit  and  reputation,  but  not  so  as  to  render 
a  particular  acknowledgment  necessary.  Socinus  and 
the  Polish  Unitarians,  with  Hugo  Grotius,  and  the 
English  Unitarian  Writers  of  the  seventeenth  Centu- 
ry, have  been  useful  assistants  in  some  places.  I 
have  profited  by  the  Paraphrase  of  Le  Clerc  and  the 
Comments  of  Abouzait,  in  composing  my  improved 
translation  and  paraphrase  on  the  introduction  to 
John's  Gospel.  Both  these  I  published  at  full  length 
in  my  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity  ;*  but  I  thought 
it  would  have  a  better  effect  in  the  present  work  to 
publish  an  entire  new  Paraphrase  of  my  own ;  in 
the  composition  of  which  I  laboured  much  to  ex- 
press with  fidelity  the  true  sense  of  the  Evangelist, 
and  to  set  his  sublime  conceptions  in  a  brilliant  and 
conspicuous  point  of  view. 

I  have  adopted  some  valuable  thoughts  from  dif- 
ferent Writers  in  the  Theological  Repository,  and  some 
from  my  late  dear  friend  Mr.  Palmer,  beforemen- 
tioned.  I  have  derived  some  precious  hints  from  the 
the  great  Lardner,  delivered  with  much  simplicity 
in  his  artless  but  touching  manner,  which  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  enlarge  upon  and  improve  to  advant- 
age. I  acknowledge  myself  indebted  to  the  venera- 
ble Mr.  Lindsey  (whose  numerous  and  valuable  wri- 
tings on  the  subject  of  these  Dissertations  I  have  often 
read  with  pleasure  and  improvement)  for  some  sen- 
timents,  expressions,  and   brief  quotations   in   the 

*  2  Edit.  p.  206  to  211. 


XX11  THE  PREFACE. 

sixth  Dissertation,  and  also  a  short  quotation  in  the 
seventh.  To  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  Priestley  I  am  indebt- 
ed for  some  occasional  thoughts  of  great  moment, 
and  particularly  in  the  two  last  Dissertations. 

But  here  I  think  it  necessary  to  mention  for  the 
reader's  security,  that  in  all  the  long,  important 
quotations  in  this  work  from  Justin  Martyr,  TertuU 
Han,  Eusebius,  and  Athanasius,  on  which  so  much 
depends  with  respect  to  the  true  state  of  things  in 
the  Primitive  Church,  I  have  followed  no  second 
hand  authority  whatever,  however  respectable;  but 
have  examined  the  Greek  and  Latin  in  the  original 
Authors,  from  Editions  of  the  Fathers  either  in  my 
own  possession,  or  which  I  have  found  in  the  Loga- 
nian  Library  in  this  city.  The  reader  may  therefore 
rely  on  the  correctness  of  the  Quotations,  and  on  the 
fidelity  of  the  Translations ;  which  I  have  laboured 
hard  to  make  as  close  to  the  originals  as  the  genius 
of  the  English  language  would  admit. 

With  respect  to  the  Scriptural  Quotations  in  these 
Dissertations,  which  I  have  collected  and  arranged 
with  great  care,  on  which  I  rest  their  credit  and  au- 
thority, and  which  are  in  themselves  of  inestimable 
value,  I  may  truly  say  with  strict  propriety,  in  the 
elevated  language  of  the  Latin  Poet,  that, 

I  HAVE  ERECTED  A  MONUMENT  MORE  LASTING 
THAN  BRASS,  AND  HIGHER  THAN  THE  REGAL 
ELEVATION  OF  THE  EGYPTIAN  PYRAMIDS,  WHICH 
NEITHER  CONSUMING  RAIN,  NOR  VIOLENT  WIND, 
NOR  AN  INNUMERABLE  SERIES  OF  YEARS,  AND 
LAPSE  OF  AGES,  CAN  DESTROY:  BUT  WHICH  WILL 
CONTINUE  TO  EXIST  IN  VIGOUR,  AND  EXHIBIT  AN 
UNIFORM  AND  UNDECAYED  FRONT,  FOR  EVER.* 

*  Exegi  monwmentwm  <zre  perennius, 

Rcgalique  situ  pyramidum  altius  : 

Shiod  non  imber  edax,  non  Aquilo  impotent 


THE  PREFACE.  .  XXlil 

Psal.  cxix.  89,  90,  &c.  For  ever,  0  JEHOVAH, 
thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven.  Thy  faithfulness  is 
unto  all  generations  :  &c.  Psal.  xix.  7  to  11.  The 
Law  of  the  LORD  is  perfect,  converting  the  soul : 
the  testimony  of  the  LORD  is  sure,  making  wise  the 
simple.  The  statutes  of  the  LORD  are  right,  rejoicing 
the  heart :  the  commandment  of  the  LORD  is  pure, 
enlightening  the  eyes.  The  fear  of  the  LORD  is  clean, 
enduring  for  ever  :  the  judgments  of  the  LORD  are 
true,  and  righteous  altogether.  More  to  be  desired  are 
they  than  gold,  yea,  than  much  fine  gold:  sweeter 
also  than  honey,  and  the  honey  comb.  Moreover,  by 
them  is  thy  servant  warned :  and  in  keeping  of  them 
there  is  great  reward.  Math.  vii.  24,  25.  There- 
fore, whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doth 
them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man  which  built  his 
house  upon  a  rock  :  And  the  rain  descended,  and 
the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew,  and  beat  upon 
that  house,  and  it  fell  not ;  for  it  was  founded 
upon  A  ROCK. 

After  the  delivery  of  these  Dissertations  in  Glas- 
gow, I  was  diverted  from  the  thought  of  publishing 
them  there  by  engaging  in  a  Sunday  Evening  Lec- 
ture, in  which  I  gave  an  Exposition  on  the  Revela- 
tion. This  Exposition  was  far  more  popular  and  bet- 
ter attended  than  the  delivery  of  my  Dissertations 
had  been ;  and  I  was  advised  by  a  Friend  to  publish 

Possit  diruere,  aut  bviumerabilis 

Annorum  series,  et  fuga  tennporum. 

Non  omnis  moriar,  mu/tar/ue  pars  met 

Vitabit  Libitumm.      Usque  ego  posterd 

Ciescam  laude  recens,  dum  Capitolhtm 

Scandet  cum  tacitd  virgine  Pontifex. 

Hor.  Lib.  Ill  Ode  30. 
I  am  not  an  original  in  the  application  of  this  passage  of  Horace  to 
a  serious  purpose.  On  casting  my  eye  on  a  note  in  the  Dauphin  Edi- 
tion, I  find  that  Jerom  made  a  similar  application  of  it  many  centuries 
ago,  in  his  Epitaph  on  Paula.  I  am  pleased  to  think,  that  I  have 
the  authority  of  a  learned  and  respectable  Father  to  countenance  me 
in  my  method  of  applying  this  passage. 


XXIV  THE  PREFACE. 

an  Advertisement  on  the  subject,  which  I  did  in  the 
following  terms. 

"  It  is  proposed  to  publish  by  Subscription,  A 
"  Treatise,  entitled,  An  Illustration  of  the  Propheti- 
"  cal  Part  of  the  Revelation,  of  John,  in  the  Form  of 
"  Discourses  or  Lectures ;  In  which  the  obvious  or 
"  probable  sense  of  the  text  will  be  succinctly  ex- 
"  plained,  and  the  events  alluded  to  by  the  sacred 
"  prophet,  veiled  for  the  most  part  under  sublime 
"  figures  and  metaphors,  will  be  elucidated  by  an 
"  abstract  of  historical  facts.  To  this  publication 
"  will  be  prefixed  a  preliminary  Dissertation,  con- 
"  taining  a  vindication  of  the  authenticity  of  this  book, 
"  a  display  of  its  utility,  with  remarks  on  some  of 
"  the  most  celebrated  expositors  and  their  schemes." 

To  this  Advertisement  was  annexed  An  Address, 
To  the  Public,  on  the  subject  of  the  Revelation 
of  three  pages  length,  bearing  date,  Glasgow,  21th 
March,  1795.  Several  Subscribers  were  procured 
for  this  proposed  publication  in  England  and  Scot- 
land ;  but  not  so  many  as  to  render  it  safe  for  me,  in 
my  then  depressed  situation  with  a  numerous  family 
of  eight  children  all  on  my  hands,  to  undertake  a 
work  of  this  difficulty  and  magnitude.  Besides,  by 
this  time,  (towards  the  end  of  July  1795)  having 
been  impressed  with  the  threatening  aspect  of  pub- 
lic affairs  in  my  native  country,  as  well  as  affected 
with  some  private  inconveniences  in  my  own  situ- 
ation, I  had  come  to  the  resoluiion  of  emigrating  to 
The  United  States  of  America.  I  therefore  laid  aside 
this  design,  and  published  a  short  paper  signifying 
my  intention  in  this  respect. 

With  a  sigh,  I  bade  farewell  to  Glasgow,  to  Edi- 
?ta's  lofty  towers  and  fair  Scotia*  s  realm;*  and  em- 

*  While  I  lived  at  Glasgow,  I  was  happy  in  the  acquaintance  of 
several  worthy  and  respectable  Citizens  of  that  place  ;  and  particular- 
ly in  that  of  Mr.  Peter  Ilougkton,  a  young'  man  of  a  pious  and  amiable 


THE  PREFACE.  XXV 

barked  with  the  greatest  part  of  my  family,  at 
Greenock,  August  6th,  1795,  in  a  vessel  bound  for 
New-Tork,  where  I  arrived  in  the  beginning  of  Oc- 
tober.    In  the  latter  part  of  the  voyage,  I  was  seiz- 

disposition  who  came  from  England,  and  then  attended  the  Divinity 
Class  in  the  University  and  preached  occasionally  for  me  ;  now  a  Dis- 
senting- Minister  in  the  West  of  England. 

The  reader  who  feels  himself  in  any  degree  interested  in  the  narra- 
tive, will  naturally  inquire,  how  the  Societies  of  Unitarian  Christians 
in  Scotland  proceeded  after  the  removal  of  Mr.  Palmer,  and  the  de- 
parture of  Mr.  Spencer  and  the  Author  ?  I  shall  endeavour  to  state, 
what  I  know  of  the  matter  as  briefly  as  possible.  The  Society  of 
Montrose  had  no  public  Meetings  after  I  left  them.  Forfar  fell  into  a 
state  of  derangement  in  a  short  time  after  its  institution.  Glasgow 
subsisted  for  some  years  under  two  or  three  successive  Preachers. 
The  Unitarian  Societies,  properly  so  called,  of  Edinburgh  and  Arbroath, 
are  I  believe  no  more.  The  latest  information  I  have  on  this  subject, 
is  by  a  letter  dated,  Dundee,  7th  November,  1807,  from  my  friend  Mr. 
Robert  Millar  a  respectable  Merchant  of  that  place,  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  at  Montrose,  who  not  only  attended  Mr.  Palmer's 
Meeting  in  Dundee  but  in  connection  with  a  Mr.  Mathews  has  kept 
up  the  Society  ever  since  Mr.  Palmer's  removal.  Mr.  Millar  after 
some  general  observations  on  the  effects  that  political  views  and  ap- 
prehensions have  had  on  religion,  and  on  the  progress  of  an  enthusias- 
tical  sect  called  Missionaries,  proceeds  as  follows. 

"  The  cause  in  Montrose  never  recovered  your  departure  from  that 
'*•  place, — and  there  I  fear  it  is  now,  as  to  any  public  profession  almost 
"  extinct.  As  far  as  I  have  learned  similar  consequences  followed  at 
"  Glasgow  soon  after  your  leaving  that  place.  I  have  indeed  heard 
"  that  both  there  and  at  Paisley  there  are  Societies  who  openly  profess 
"  the  Divine  Unity,  but  do  not  seem  to  perceive  the  primary  import  - 
"  ance  of  that  principle,  and  wish  rather  to  be  distinguished  by  some 
*«  other  peculiar  opinions,  and  to  be  denominated  Universalists :  there 
"  is  I  hear  a  similar  Society  in  Edinburgh,  and  one  of  their  chief  cor- 
*•  ner  stones  is  Baptism.  Besides  these  and  the  one  here,  I  can  learn 
"  of  no  other  Society  in  Scotland  that  in  the  most  remote  degree  tends 
«' to  Unitarianism.  It  appears  therefore  to  be  a  plant  not  likely  to 
»•  thrive  in  this  northern  climate  in  our  day.  Some  seeds  however  are 
"  sown  and  these  will  not  perish.  The  first  planting  of  the  Gospel 
"  was  like  that  of  a  mustard  seed.  In  no  place  has  the  cause  had 
"  more  or  greater  difficulties  to  encounter  than  here.  Mr.  Palmer's 
"  misfortunes  gave  it  a  severe  blow;  some  of  its  most  zealous  Advo- 
"  cates,  abandoned  it,  and  have  very  decently  gone  for  years  to  the  Es- 
"  tablished  Church.  We  have  lost  many  Members  in  the  course  of 
"  20  years  by  death.  Still  the  Society  has  been  kept  up  through  good 
"  and  bad  report,  and  at  present  consists  of  about  20  joined  Members, 
,c  besides  about  half  as  many  young  People,  and  a  few  constant  Hear- 
"  ers  who  have  not  joined.     There  are  also  always  some  strangers." 

In  England  I  am  happy  to  announce  a  far  more  glorious  and  trium- 
phant state  of  things  with  respect  to  Unitarianism.  There  were  Uni- 
tarians in  England  at  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  and  several  per- 

[4] 


XXVI  THE  PREFACE. 

ed  with  a  slow  fever,  as  I  suppose  of  the  nervous 
kind,  and  when  I  landed  at  New-York  was  in  a  state 
of  great  debility  both  of  body  and  mind.  The  yel- 
low fever  was  then  in  that  city,  and  a  great  part  of 
my  family  were  either  affected  with  it  or  other  disor- 
ders. I  had  to  encounter  many  difficulties,  embar- 
rassments and  •  unfortunate  incidents  in  that  city ; 
but  experienced  at  the  same  time  the  kind  attentions 
of  some  pious  and  worthy  persons,  which  alleviated 
these  distressing  events  not  a  little.     I  removed  to 

sons  suffered  death  or  imprisonment  for  the  profession  of  the  truth. 
For  150  years  the  cause  has  been  supported,  less  or  more,  by  learned 
writers,  able  Preachers,  and  distinguished  private  Christians. 

The  Unitarian  Society  formed  at  London  in  1791,  in  a  manner  con- 
nects and  combines  all  the  noted  men  of  that  profession,  throughout 
Great-Britain,  in  one  general  body.  A  similar  Society  on  a  large  plan 
of  that  kind  was  afterwards  formed  in  the  West  of  England.  And  by 
a  letter,  accompanied  with  a  Pamphlet,  which  I  received  near  three 
months  ago,  from  a  respectable  Unitarian  Minister  in  the  vicinity  of 
London,  1  find  there  is  a  third  general  Society  formed,  called  the  Uni- 
tarian Fund,  the  object  of  which  is  to  afford  encouragement  and  sup- 
port to  popular  and  itinerant  Preachers  in  different  parts  of  the  coun- 
try in  order  more  fully  to  extend  and  diffuse  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth.  An  account  is  given  of  the  progress  and  exertions  of  Mr.  Wright 
and  other  Unitarian  Preachers  in  different  places  of  England  and 
Wales.  P.  17  "  Since  the  last  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Society,  Mr. 
"  Wright  has  travelled  as  a  missionary  more  than  2000  miles  ;  chiefly 
««  on  foot  and  with  great  varieties  of  road  and  weather.  In  these  jour- 
*•'  nies,  he  has  been  much  occupied,  not  only  with  preaching,  which 
"  he  has  omitted  no  opportunity  of  performing,  but  also  with  religious 
"conversation;  with  a  view  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  strengthen 
"young  converts,  to  reconcile  differences  between  brethren,  and  to 
"  administer  advice  to  ministers  and  churches.  He  has  distributed  In 
"  his  progress  a  "great number  of  Unitarian  Tracts."  Mention  is  also 
made  in  this  Pamphlet  (p.  5  to  10)  of  the  Unitarians  in  Scotland  and 
particularly  at  Paisley  ,•  which  passage  concludes  as  follows.  "  In  no 
'■  long  time,  it  is  ardently  hoped,  that  a  missionary  may  be  deputed  to 
"  proclaim  in  Scotland,  where  there  appears  to  be  such  a  forward  dis- 
,c  position  to  free  inquiry,  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  in 
"  its  original  simplicity  and  power."' 

A  very  useful  periodical  publication  has  been  set  on  foot  at  London, 
entitled,  "  The  Monthly  Repository  of  Theology  and  General  Literature, 
*'  arranged  under  the  following  heads  :  1.  History  and  Biography.  2. 
"  Miscellaneous  Communications.  3.  Biblical  Criticism.  4.  Review 
"  of  Select  Books.  5  Original  Poetry.  6.  Obituary.  7.  Literary 
"  and  Religious  Intelligence.  8.  A  list  of  New  Publications.  Pub- 
lished by  Messrs.  Longman,  Hurst,  Fees,  and  Orme,  Paternoster  Hovi,. 
Price  12s.  Cd.  Sterling,  each  Volume,  in  boards,  for  a  whole  year* 


THE  PREFACE.  XXV11 

Philadelphia  towards  the  end  of  December,  where 
1  remained  till  the  9th  of  February  1795,  when  I 
set  out  for  Winchester  in  Virginia,  and  my  family  fol- 
lowed me  there  in  April  following. 

After  some  attempts,  by  conversation,  letter-wri- 
ting, and  lending  books,  to  propagate  the  Unitarian 
Doctrine  in  a  private,  familiar  way  ;  with  little  or  no 
success,  I  recited  these  Dissertations  a  second  time  in 
the  Court  house  at  Winchester,  in  Autumn  1799,  to 
crowded  audiences  at  first,  but  in  the  sequel  to  very 
thin  ones.  I  wished  much  then  to  have  published 
these  Dissertations,  but  as  the  subject  was  unpopular 
and  the  publication  would  have  been  expensive,  I 
did  not  attempt  it;  but  contented  mycelf  with  wri- 
ting and  printing  a  small  Pamphlet  entitled  -, 

"  A  Serious  Address  to  the  Inhabitants  of  Winchester  ; 
"  on  the  Unity  of  God,  and  Humanity  of  Christ  : 
"  With  A  List  of  Theological  Treatises,  To  be  af- 
"  forded  to  the  perusal  of  those  who  may  incline  to 
w  make  an  enquiry  into  these  important  subjects." 
Winchester  180Q. 

This  Address,  I  advertised  for  eleven  months,  in 
the  Winchester  Gazette,  and  concluded  the  Adver- 
tisement by  a  Solemn  Protest  against  the  Trinitarian 
Doctrine  and  Worship,  published  the  31st  of  De- 
cember 1800,  the  last  day  of  the  late  Century.  I 
confirmed  this  Protest  in  a  farewell  Address  to  the 
people  of  Winchester,  published  also  in  the  Winchester 
Gazette  of  the  20th  of  May  1801. 

My  next  settlement  was  at  Northmnberland  town 
in  this  State,  where  after  having  resided  near  seven 
months,  I  began  to  preach,  and  continued  to  do  so, 
generally  once  a  fortnight,  for  the  space  of  more 
than  four  years,  viz.  from  Christmas-day  1801,  to 
February  1 806,  without  concealing  or  dissembling 
my  Sentiments ;  though  I  did  not  there  recite  these 
Dissertations.     I  hereby  express  my  grateful  acknow- 


XXV111  THE   PREFACE. 

ledgments  to  the  good  people  of  Northumberland 
and  that  neighbourhood,  for  the  candour  and  atten- 
tion with  which  they  heard  me,  from  first  to  last. 
My  good  wishes  will  ever  attend  them,  and  my  pray- 
ers be  offered  up  in  their  behalf  to  the  heavenly 
Father  in  the  name  of  Christ.  I  am  indebted  to  that 
place  for  several  Subscriptions  to  these  Dissertations , 
for  which  I  return  thanks.  While  I  resided  at  Nor- 
thumberland,  I  composed  the  following  pieces. 

1.  "  The  Doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  Concerning 
"  God,  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  Holy  Spirit, 
"  Briefly  stated ;  and  accompanied  with  remarks  on 
"  Observations  on  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  ascribed  to 
"  Judge  Rush ;  which  appeared  in  the  Sunbury  and 
"  Northumberland  Gazette  of  September  20th  last." 
This  piece  was  published  in  a  small  type,  in  Mr. 
Kennedy's  paper  beforementioned,  of  the  25th  Oc- 
tober 1804,  and  filled  near  seven  columns. 

2.  A  Speech  delivered  at  the  grave  of  the  Rev* 
Joseph  Priestley,  L  L.  D.  F.  R.  S.  &c.  Northum- 
berland :   1804. 

3.  A  Review  of  Dr.  Priestley's  Theological  works, 
with  occasional  Extracts,  expressive  of  his  sentiments 
and  opinions,  and  observations  on  his  character  and 
conduct  as  a  Christian  Minister.  When  I  removed 
from  "Northumberland  in  February  1806,  I  left  this 
Review,  prepared  for  the  press,  with  Joseph  Priest- 
ley Esq.  ;  who  published  it  the  same  year,  in  Dr. 
Priestley's  Memoirs,  Vol.  2.  Appendix,  No.  6. 

At  Pottsgrove,  where  I  resided  from  February  1 806 
till  near  the  end  of  that  month  1 807, 1  had  no  opportu- 
nity afforded  me  of  public  speaking,  and  I  must  add 
no  desire  for  it ;  though  I  lived  agreeably  with  some 
worthy  people  in  that  place. 

Since  my  coming  to  reside  in  this  City*  I  have  en- 

*  I  arrived  in  Philadelphia  with  my  family,  February  26,  1807 


THE  PREFACE.  XXIX 

gaged  in  public  worship,  and  other  religious  servi- 
ces, with  two  different  classes  of  men  ot  the  Unita- 
rian Denomination ;  and  neither  of  these  Societies 
have  answered  my  expectations  in  a!l  respects ; 
though  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  parting  with  a  majo- 
rity of  the  members  of  the  Independent  Society,  in  an 
agreeable  manner.* 

I  doubt  not  but  that  I  might  resume  my  labours 
in  this  way,  if  I  were  so  disposed  ;  but  I  think  I  have 
already  employed,  and  may  in  future  employ,  my 
time  on  the  Lord's  day  to  more  spiritual  improve- 
ment and  advantage  to  myself  and  others,  by  private 
devotion  and  the  study  of  the  Scriptures,  than  I 
could  do  in  preaching  to  a  very  small  congregation, 
most  of  whom  as  they  are  pious  and  moral  people> 
stand  in  little  need  of  my  instruction  or  admonition. 
Besides,  I  am  now  come  to  the  evening  of  life  ;  and 
wearied  nature  craves  some  respite  from  continual 
toil.  A  period  of  twenty-seven  years  has  elapsec, 
since  the  commencement  of  the  Society  of  Unitari- 
an Christians  at  Montrose  in  Scotland,  in  August, 
1781.  During  all  which  time  (with  little  interval)  I 
have  been  more  or  less  actively  engaged  as  a  Preach- 
er, in  different  places ;  either  in  my  own  country,  or 
in  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania.  It  may  now  be  be- 
coming, at  least  not  inglorious,  to  leave  the  useful 
and  necessary  duty  of  public  speaking  on  the  Lcrd's 
day  to  others,  greener  in  years  and  firmer  in  strength 

*  For  the  causes  and  reasons  of  my  difference  with  one  of  these 
Societies,  see,  two  small  pamphlets  published  in  this  city  last  vear, 
the  frst  entitled,  Remarks  on  The  Constitution,  Framed  by  Tltree  Lead- 
ing Members,  And  lately  Adopted  by  A  Majority  of  the  Society  of  Unita- 
rian Christians,  Who  Assemble  in  Church  Alley;  &c. ;  the  second,  enti- 
tled, A  Sequel  to  the  Remarks  on  the  Constitution  &c—  Containing  A  De- 
fence of  The  Remarks  And  Their  Author.  By  Wi lli am  Christie, 
The  Author  of  the  said  Remarks.  Philadelphia  :  1807-  The  Persons 
of  the  Suspension  of  the  Meetings  of  the  Independent  Society  wili  after- 
wards appeal-. 


XXX  THE  PREFACE. 

than  I  am,  and  to  wish  them  success  in  the  name  of 
the  LORD.* 

In  the  place  of  Worship  of  the  Independent  Society 
of  Unitarian  Christians  of  this  city  beforementioned, 
were  these  Dissertations  rehearsed  for  the  third  and 
last  time,  as  a  Lord's  day  Evening  Service,  which  be- 
gan on  Sunday,  November  15th,  1807,  and  ended 
February  28th,  1 808,  when  the  last  Dissertation  was 
delivered  ;  though  the  Evening  Service  itself  was 
still  continued  on  the  subject  of  the  Prophecies  of 
Daniel  till  May  8th.  A  considerable  number  of 
|  hearers  attended  the  recital  of  the  Dissertations  at 
\  first ;  but  the  audience  gradually  declined  till  near 
ithe  close,  when  it  was  almost  reduced  to  the  proper 
(members  of  the  Society.! 

\  *  The  Rev.  Mr.  Lindsey,  of  Essex  Street  Chapel,  Strand,  London, 
4^ive  over  preaching-  at  Seventy  yearj  of  age,  though  he  was  then  in  to- 
lerable health,  and  living  on  the  most  agreeable  footing  with  his  Con- 
gtegation,  who  regretted  his  resignation.  My  increasing  infirmities, 
w\th  the  various  trials,  reverses,  and  disasters,  that  I  have  experien- 
ced in  human  life,  have  probably  made  me  as  old  (if  I  may  so  speak) 
at  near  Sixty,  as  that  good  man  was  at  Seventy.  Add  to  this,  that  I 
am; under  the  constant  necessity  of  labouring  for  a  worldly  subsistence 
for  myself  and  family.  It  is  high  time,  therefore,  as  Horace  says, 
thai  I  should  be  donatum  rude,  "  released  from  active  service." 

f  As  I  have  had  occasion  in  some  of  my  late  publications,  and  even 
in  tins  Preface,  to  mention  the  name  of  The  Independent  Society  of  Uni- 
tarian Christians,  which  commenced  in  this  city  in  September  1807, 
and  assembled  at  No.  26,  North  Sixth  Street,  it  may  be  proper  here, 
briefly,  to  state  the  causes  of  the  Suspension  of  its  pnblic  Meetings 
since  May  22d,  1808. 

When  this  Society  was  instituted,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  by  its 
members,  among  other  things,  that  public  Worship  and  other  reli- 
gious Services  should  be  conducted  every  Lord's  day  by  an  Elder,  and 
two  Deacons  The  Elder  consented  to  perform  the  morning  Service, 
and  the  two  Deacons  agreed  to  perform,  by  turns,  that  in  the  after- 
noon. One  of  these  Deacons  having  been  absent  on  business  for  some 
months,  on  his  return,  declined  performing  the  duty  he  had  underta- 
ken, and  having  been  conversed  with  on  the  subject  in  consequence  of 
a  motion  made  by  the  other  Deacon,  he  still  appeared  averse  to  the 
Task.  In  a  second  Conversation,  which  took  place  on  a  question  pro- 
posed by  himself,  and  seconded  by  the  Elder,  viz.  "  Whether  the 
Meeting' should  be  continued  or  not?"  he  at  fa**  assigned  a  frivolous 
and  insufficient  reason  for  his  declining  to  act,  (viz.  the  publication  of 
a  pamphlet  in  1&Q7,  written  by  the  Elder,  entitled,  An  Account  of  an 
Erasement  aad  Interpolation,  Cr'c.J  which  a  Comparison  of  preceding 


THE  PREFACE.  XXXI 

The  Author  of  these  Dissertations  having  in  the 
Prospectus  he  published,  bearing  date  November  9, 
1807,  and  which  he  afterwards  reprinted,  annexed 
to  a  Pamphlet,  signified  his  intention  (with  the  divine 
permission)  of  putting  these  Dissertations  to  the 
press,  at  an  early  period  in  1 808,  with  or  without 
Subscribers,  is  truly  happy  that  circumstances  have 
been  so  ordered  that  he  is  able  to  fulfil  his  intentions, 
and  to  present  those  friends  that  have  done  him  the 
favour  to  subscribe  to  his  work,  and  the  public  in 
general,  with  an  Edition  of  these  Dissertations,  He 
has  spared  no  pains  to  correct,  and  improve  them ; 
to  retrench  redundancies,  and  supply  omissions 
where  necessary :  he  has  also  added  a  number  of 
useful  notes. 

The  Author  considers  the  publication  of  these 
Dissertations,  as  the  most  useful  labour  he  was  capa- 

and  succeeding  circumstances  lias  now  fully  discovered  not  to  have 
been  the  true  one.  Besides  this  Deacon's  declining-  to  perform  his 
duty,  and  the  defection  of  another  member,  who  had  some  time  before 
left  the  Society ;  the  other  Deacon  who  had  discharged  his  duty  with 
fidelity,  was  obliged  from  the  situation  of  his  affairs  to  remove  from 
the  city  to  the  country  ;  and  another  respectable  member  proposed  to 
set  out  soon  for  a  distant  country  residence  among  her  friends,  and 
there  to  remain  for  some  months. 

The  Eider  taking  all  these  circumstances  under  consideration,  and 
reflecting,  that  the  whole  of  the  public  Service  of  the  Society,  twice 
every  Lord's  day,  would  either  devolve  upon  himself,  (a  task  for 
which,  joined  to  his  close  application  on  ordinary  days,  he  found  him- 
self inadequate)  or  one  part  be  left  unperformed  ;  and  that  he  should 
now  have  to  speak  to  a  very  small  audience,  not  much  exceeding  the 
number  of  an  ordinary  family,  thought  it  most  eligible  to  propose  to 
the  Society,  that  its  public  Meetings  should  be  suspended,  which  was 
accordingly  agreed  to. 

The  Majority  of  the  Independent  Society  of  Unitarian  Christians,  how- 
ever, who  have  continued  true  and  firm  to  their  original  profession ; 
though  they  do  not  new  meet  publicly,  yet  see  one  another  with  plea- 
sure, when  they  have  it  in  their  power ;  and  consider  one  another  as 
brethren. 

The  above  is  as  full  a  Statement  of  the  Transaction  to  which  it  re- 
lates, as  it  may  be  proper  to  give  in  this  work.  I  have  by  me  materi- 
als for  composing  a  particular  Account  of  the  Institution,  Progress, 
and  Suspension  of  this  Society,  in  all  its  steps,  with  proper  Observa- 
tions, and  Inferences  from  undeniable  facts,  which  I  may  either  bring 
forward  separately,  or  suppress,  as  circumstances  may  require. 


XXX11  THE  PREFACE. 

ble  of  performing  for  the  glory  of  God  or  the  bene- 
fit of  mankind  ;  and  as  far  exceeding  any  service  he 
could  render  to  religion  or  piety  by  his  ordinary 
preaching  to  such  small  audiences  as  generally  at- 
tended him.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  that  the  effect  of 
Preaching  is  but  too  often  momentary,  and  that  good 
impressions  wear  off  very  soon ;  but  a  printed  work 
on  an  interesting  and  all  important  subject,  is  calcu- 


Philadelphia,  August  17th,  1808.— How  short-sighted  are  mortals* 
Little  did  I  think  a  few  days  ago,  when  I  wrote  the  above  note,  that 
the  amiable  Lady  mentioned  there,  "  as  a  respectable  member,  who 
*.'  proposed  to  set  out  for  a  distant  country  residence  among  her 
««  friends,"  was  then  on  the  verge  of  dissolution,  or  actually  no  more  ! 
Yesterday  brought  me  the  melancholy  accounts  of  her  demise.  The 
sad  tidings  opened  former  wounds,  and  made  my  heart  and  those  of 

my  family  bleed  afresh. Truth,  Justice^  and  Friendship,  require 

me  to  say,  that  Miss  Darch  was  no  ordinary  person  ; — that  she  was 
humane  and  benevolent  to  all, — sincere  and  constant  in  her  attachment 
to  her  friends. — Good  sense  and  fair  inquiry  led  her  to  entertain  just 
and  rational  views  of  tbe  Christian  System  ;  and  she  acted  up  to  her 
means  of  information,  by  an  open  acknowledgment  and  public  profes- 
sion of  the  Truth. 

When  the  difference  took  place  among  the  Unitarians  of  this  city, 
she  regretted  it;  but  at  the  same  time  of  her  own  accord,  and  with- 
out any  solicitation,  she  gave  a  preference  to  the  Independent  Society  of 
Unitarian  Christians,  and  adhered  to  it  steadily  till  the  Suspension  of 
its  Meetings,  which  took  place  just  before  she  set  out  on  her  journey 
Math.  x.  41,  42. 


I. 

Why  should  we  mourn  departing  friends  ? 

Or  dread  their  opening  grave  ? 
In  kindness  'tis  their  Father  sends 

From  ev'ry  ill  to  save. 

II. 

We  too  are  hastening  to  our  home 

As  fast  as  time  can  fly  ; 
Nor  can  that  home  too  swijtly  come 

Which  seals  our  hopes  on  high.  &c. 

Birmingham  Collection,  Hymn  cv.  p.  151. 


THE   PREFACE.  XXX111 

lated  to  have  a  permanent  effect,  and  is  always  at 
hand  to  renew  its  first  impressions. 

The  Author  humbly  trusts,  that  these  Dissertations 
will  continue  to  do  good,  and  to  promote  the  know- 
ledge of  the  one  God,  and  the  one  mediator  between 
God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  when  he  shall 
sleep  with  his  fathers,  and  be  numbered  among  the 
dead.  But  though  the  work  should  not  have  any- 
considerable  influence  or  effect,  though  it  should 
even  be  neglected  and  despised  ;  yet  none  can  de- 
prive him  of  the  accomplishment  of  one  main  ob- 
ject which  he  had  in  view  by  its  publication.  It  has 
been  a  work  long  projected,  of  ardent  wishes,  and 
of  many  prayers ;  and  the  Author  by  executing  his 
purpose  at  last  by  means  of  painful  exertion,  has  re- 
lieved and  discharged  his  conscience,  and  removed 
a  burden  from  his  mind. 

In  his  former  Treatise  he  bore  a  full  and  complete 
testimony  to  the  supreme  and  unrivalled  Majesty  of 
the  Father  as  the  only  true  God,  but  came  to  no  posi- 
tive conclusion,  concerning  Jesus  Christ  whom  he 
hath  sent,  farther,  than  that  he  was  "  a  being  infe- 
rior to  God,  dependent  upon  him,  and  acting  by  his 
command  and  authority  ;  or  in  other  words  his  Son, 
Servant  and  Messenger ;  and  by  the  Father's  ap- 
pointment, the  Messiah,  or  only  Mediator  between 
God  and  Man."  This  last  point,  though  clearly  es- 
tablished and  proved,  still  left  the  mind  in  a  state  of 
suspense  and  uneasiness,  respecting  the  nature  and 
character  of  our  Lord,  viz.  whether  he  was  to  be 
ranked  among  angelic  or  superangelic  beings ;  or 
considered  as  one  of  the  human  species,  perfect  and 
complete  in  piety  and  all  moral  virtue ;  and  thereby 
as  the  captain  of  our  salvation,  the  author  and  finisher 
of  faith,  affording  an  imitable  and  salutary  example 
to  all  his  followers.     The  present  Dissertations,  after 

[5] 


XXXIV  THE   PREFACE. 

exhibiting  a  full  proof  of  the  Unity  of  God  in  the 
person  of  the  Father,  decide  this  important  question 
explicitly,  and  establish  the  Messiahs  hip  and  Proper 
Humanity  of  Jesus,  by  strong  and  cogent  Argu- 
ments. 

The  Author,  therefore,  has  now  borne  his  full 
and  complete  testimony  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
to  the  pure  and  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  calculated 
to  nourish  the  human  mind,  and  make  it  grow  in 
(Trace  and  goodness,  and  in  a  meetness  for  everlast- 
ing life.  If,  therefore,  his  work  shall  be  well  re- 
ceived, he  will  rejoice  and  be  thankful ;  but  though 
it  should  be  otherwise,  he  cannot  be  deprived  of 
the  sweet  consolation  of  having  done  his  duty,  by 
serving  the  cause  of  God  and  truth,  according  to 
the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  ability.  This  is  a 
reward  that  will  be  his,  both  here  and  hereafter. 

Above  all  things,  it  becomes  the  Author,  with 
unfeigned  humility  and  self-annihilation  to  express 
his  gratitude  to  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of 
all  comfort,  for  making  his  unworthy  servant  an  in- 
strument in  promoting  the  knowledge  of  his  truth, 
and  the  Gospel  of  his  Son ;  and  for  granting  him 
strength  and  ability  to  begin,  carry  on,  and  finish 
this  work.  If  any  thing  good  or  useful  has  been 
performed  in  it,  if  any  important  truth  has  been  set 
in  a  clearer  light  and  established  by  more  powerful 
arguments  than  by  former  Writers,  to  him  alone,  to 
his  great,  glorious,  and  adorable  name  be  all  the 
praise  ascribed ! 

The  satisfaction  I  have  derived  from  the  accom- 
plishment  of  this  work,  and  other  useful  underta- 
kings that  I  have  been  enabled  to  perform,  I  consi- 
der as  a  balance  to  many  seeming  evils  that  have  be- 
fallen me,  and  a  means  of  support  under  them. 

I  have  seen  so  many  sad  changes  and  vicissitudes 
take  place  in  the  world  ;  I  have  experienced  so  many 


THE    PREFACE.  XXXV 

trials,  difficulties,  and  disappointments  in  human 
life,  that  I  have  been  sometimes  ready  to  say  in  a 
desponding  moment,  with  the  hebrew  Philosopher, 
All  it  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit  *  or  with  Addir 
son's  Cato, 

"  O  Lucius,  I  am  sick  of  this  bad  world  1" 

But  I  correct  myself.  Though  such  melancholy 
apprehensions  may  sometimes  arise  in  a  man's  mind, 
and  cast  a  gloom  over  it,  yet  it  is  extremely  wrong- 
to  give  way  to  them,  or  to  suffer  one's  self  to  be  in- 
fluenced by  them ;  as  they  must  necessarily  have  a 
tendency  to  check  that  spirit  of  general  and  ardent 
benevolence,  that  a  Christian  ought  to  cherish.  Such 
thoughts  when  indulged  imply  ingratitude  to  God, 
who  is  infinitely  wise  and  good  ;  and  are  injurious  to 
mankind,  as  they  hinder  a  man  from  taking  a  suffi- 
ciently strong  interest  in  their  concerns,  so  as  to  act 
his  part  in  Society  with  vigour  and  alacrity.  The 
earth  is  full  of  the  goodness  of  the  LORD  ;  he  does  not 
grieve  willingly  nor  afflict  the  children  of  men.  The 
means  of  happiness,  at  least  of  content  and  resigna- 
tion, are  in  every  man's  power.  Life  accompanied 
with  an  ordinary  share  of  health,  and  any  tolerable 
means  of  Subsistence,  is  a  great  and  singular  bles- 
sing, particularly  to  those  who  do  not  think  it  pro- 
bable, that  there  is  any  state  of  conscious  existence 
between  death  and  the  resurrection.  Life  is  the  ac- 
cepted time  and  the  day  of  salvation  ;f — the  time  for 
securing  the  divine  favour,  being  useful  to  mankind, 
overcoming  vitious  propensities,  and  laving  in  a  stock 
of  virtue  and  piety,  which  may  stand  us  in  stead 
hereafter.  Psal.  cxv.  17,  18.  The  dead  praise  not 
the  LORD,  neither  any  that  go  down  into  silence.  But 

*  Ecclcs.  i.  14.  f  9.  Cor.  vi.  2. 


XXXVI  THE   PREFACE. 

we  wilt  bless  the  LORD,  from  this  time  forth  and 
for  evermore.  Praise  the  LORD.  cv.  3.  Glory  ye 
in  his  holy  name  :  let  the  heart  of  them  rejoice  that  seek 
the  LORD.  Phil.  iv.  4.  Rejoice  in  the  LORD 
ahvay  :  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice. 

These  are  noble  and  cheerful  sentiments.  They 
check  the  risings  of  chagrin  and  discontent,  and 
spread  a  sacred  serenity  over  the  mind.  The  true 
Christian  medium  is, — not  to  be  worldly  minded,  nor 
over  fond  of  life  :  nor  yet  wantonly  and  ungrateful- 
ly to  despise  its  proper  business, — nor  even  its  sober 
satisfactions  and  innocent  enjoyments.  Intellectual 
and  moral  pleasures  afford  still  higher  sources  of  de- 
light ;  and  devotional  feeling  completes  the  pitch  of 
human  felicity.  Phil.  i.  21.  For  to  me  to  live  is 
Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain,  says  Paul,  with  exact  pro- 
priety. A  good  man  ought  always  to  be  ready  to 
depart,  and  yet  willing  to  wait  the  divine  call. 

Father  of  Christ  !  to  thy  sure  hand, 

My  health,  my  breath,  I  trust ; 
And  my  fiesh  waits  hut  thy  command, 

To  drop  into  the  dust. 

Psal.  xxiii.  lxxiii.  23  to  26.     1  Pet.  i.  3  to  5. 

Philadelphia,  25th  October,  1808. 


THE 


CONTENTS. 


The  Preface         -  -  -  xxxvi  pages. 

1  Timothy  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 

and  men,  the  ?nan  Christ  Jesus. 

DISSERTATION  I. 

Page 
The  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
demonstrated  from  Reason  and  Scripture.  1 

DISSERTATION  II. 

The  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
demonstrated  from  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
Testament.         -         -  -         -       -       16 

DISSERTATION  III. 

The  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
demonstrated  from  the  Scriptures  of  the  New 
Testament. 30 

DISSERTATION  IV. 

A  Reply  to  supposed  Objections  from  Scrip- 
ture   44 


XXXV111  THE   CONTENTS. 

DISSERTATION  V. 

Page 
The   Messiahship,    and    Proper   Humanity   of 
Jesus,  Stated  and  Vindicated.        ...     75 

DISSERTATION  VI. 
The  same  Subject  continued.         -  -  -     90 

DISSERTATION  VII. 
The  same  Subject  continued.        -        -  -  105 

DISSERTATION  VIII. 
The  same  Subject  continued 117 

DISSERTATION  IX. 
A  Reply  to  Arian  Objections.       -       -       -      -  131 

DISSERTATION  X. 
The  same  Subject  continued.       -       -        -       -  145 

DISSERTATION  XI. 
The  same  Subject  continued 159 

DISSERTATION  XII. 

The  same  Subject  continued.       -       -        -       -  172 

DISSERTATION  XIII. 

The  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
and  the  true  Sonship  of  Jesus,  evinced  from 
the  natural  and  obvious  meaning  of  that  an- 
cient Symbol  styled  the  Apostles  Creed. 
With  a  few  Previous  Observations,  on  the 
Doctrines  preached  by  the  Apostles,  and  on 
'he   Authority  of  the   Apostolical  Fathers.     187 


THE  CONTENTS.  XXXIX 

DISSERTATION  XIV. 

Page 
The  Unitarianism  of  the  Primitive  Church 
Proved,  from  some  Remarkable  Circumstan- 
ces, and  from  the  Concessions  and  Acknow- 
ledgments of  some  Ancient  Ecclesiastical 
Writers. 200 

DISSERTATION  XV. 

Farther  Evidence  from  Ancient  Ecclesiastical 
Writers,  that  the  first  Jewish  and  Gentile 
Churches  held  the  Unitarian  Doctrine:  With 
some  Preliminary  Observations.       -       -      -  215 

DISSERTATION  XVI. 

A  Brief  View  of  the  Rise,  Progress,  and  Es- 
tablishment of  the  Present  Doctrine  of  the 
Trinity :  With  Previous  Remarks  on  the 
Propensity  of  Mankind  to  Idolatry.       -       -  232 

Index  to  the  Texts  of  Scripture,  which  have 
been  commented  upon,  or  particularly  refer- 
red to  in  the  Dissertations 253 

Index  to  the  Quotations  from  Ancient  Creeds 
and  Writers,  or  References  to  them.      -      -  255 


ERRATA. 


•»>«  Line 

35  Lot.    4  for  exciting  read  exerting. 

36  top     9   for  move  read  more. 

45 bot.    6   for  1  John  i.  7  read  v.  7. 

49  bot.  15    for  gratifications  read  qualifications. 

81  top  16    for  by  him  >  end  did  by  him. 

124  Note       for  Luke  xx  read  xxiii. 

142  bot.  13    for  then  read  them. 

ISO  bot.    5   for  Collossians  read  Colossians. 

212    Note   top    5   for  oeconamiam  read  oeconomiam. 

223     Note    bot.  1   for  Fol.  read  Fab. 

253,  Index  Col.  2.  insert  after  line  1.  Psal.  *cx.  p.  67,  94 

256  bot.  8  insert  249 

■249 


DISSERTATION  L 

THE  UNITY  OF  GOD  IN  THE  PERSON 
OF  THE  FATHER, 

DEMONSTRATED    FROM 

REASON  AND  SCRIPTURE, 

I   TIMOTHY    H.    5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesas. 

W  E  have  here  a  Creed,  or  a  declaration  of  the 
two  main  articles  of  our  Christian  Faith,  delivered 
to  us  by  apostolical  authority  and  expressed  with 
great  clearness,  brevity  and  simplicity. 

I  have  been  apt  to  wonder,  that  our  modern  Creed- 
makers  and  composers  of  theological  systems  should 
have  overlooked  and  neglected  this  and  other  evan- 
gelical models  laid  down  in  scripture,  and  introduced 
so  much  foreign,  precarious  and  traditional  mate- 
rials into  their  Confessions  of  Faith  and  Schemes  of 
Divinity. 

But  the  fact  is  less  surprising  when  we  consider,  that 
the  corruptions  of  Christianity  are  of  long  standing 
and  have  been  accumulating  and  gathering  strength 
for  a  series  of  ages ;  and  that  many  persons  dazzled 
and  overwhelmed  by  the  weight  of  human  testimony 
and  misled  by  the  authority  of  great  names  who  have 


2  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

gone  before  them,  have  chosen  rather  to  follow  the 
track  marked  out  by  others  than  to  return  to  the  pri- 
mary path  and  begin  all  their  divinity  anew. 

I  would  not  be  understood,  however,  as  affirming, 
that  the  class  of  writers  I  have  in  view  did  not  consult 
the  scriptures  at  all.  Undoubtedly  they  consulted 
them,  held  them  in  high  veneration,  and  took  the 
laudable  pains  of  translating  them  and  making  them 
generally  known.  They  were  also  led  by  the  peru- 
sal of  these  scriptures  to  discover,  detect  and  expose 
several  of  the  glaring  and  prevailing  errors  of  their 
times ;  and  for  this  and  every  other  meritorious  ser- 
vice they  performed,  the  christian  world  is  certainly 
under  very  great  obligations  to  them.  But  with  re- 
spect to  some  of  the  most  capital  and  fundamental 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  a  dismal  mist  of  ignorance, 
prejudice  and  bigotry  beclouded  their  minds,  and 
prevented  them  from  discovering  truths  in  their  own 
nature,  bright,  luminous,  and  conspicuous.  As  it 
was  said  of  the  ancient  Jews,  in  relation  to  the  wri- 
tings of  Moses,  that  the  veil  was  upon  their  heart,  * 
which  prevented  them  from  attending  to  the  eviden- 
ces of  the  divine  mission  of  Jesus;  so  it  maybe  said 
of  these  Reformers  and  their  Successors,  that  the 
veil  of  Platonism  and  ancient  tradition  blinded  them, 
and  still  blinds  them;  and  intercepts  from  their 
view  some  of  the  plainest  principles  of  our  holy  re- 
ligion. 

The  first  Reformers ,  having  been  educated  under 
the  tuition  of  ill-instructed  masters,  accustomed  to 
the  scholastic  mode  of  Divinity,  and  taught  to  respect 
the  authority  of  the  Nicene  and  Athanasian  creeds 
and  the  decisions  of  the  three  general  councils  that  fol- 
lowed that  of  Nice ;  and  being  highly  prepossessed 
in  favour  of  the  sentiments  of  Augustin  and  other 

2  Cor.  in.  15. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &.C*  3 

Fathers  who  wrote  in  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries, 
were,  I  may  say,  incapacitated  for  forming  a  sound 
and  unprejudiced  judgment  respecting  the  true  na- 
ture of  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  -Christ.  Having 
taken  it  for  granted  that  these  beforementioned  Coun- 
cils and  Fathers  were  certainly  in  the  right,  instead 
of  trying  and  examining  their  decisions  by  the  Scrip, 
tures,  they  endeavoured  to  accommodate  the  sense 
of  these  sacred  books  to  the  received  and  traditional 
opinions ;  and  by  the  help  of  false  readings,  ill  ex- 
plained and  figurative  passages,  they  made  out  a  sort 
of  proof  that  seemed  to  satisfy  themselves,  however 
little  it  might  satisfy  an  impartial  and  ingenuous  in- 
quirer. 

It  seemed  good  to  the  Providence  of  God,  whose 
ways  are  wonderful,  mysterious,  and  past  finding 
out,  to  permit  this  species  of  half-reformed  Chris- 
tianity to  receive  the  sanction  of  civil  authority,  and 
to  be  established  in  various  countries  of  modern  Eu- 
rope, and  in  Great  Britain  among  the  rest ;  for  the 
time  of  complete,  general  reformation  was  not  then 
fully  come.  Though  there  existed  at  this  period  of 
time,  I  mean  in  the  sixteenth  century  when  the  Pro- 
testant Reformation  took  place,  a  class  of  writers 
who  saw  much  farther,  and  exhibited  the  truths  of 
Christianity  in  a  juster  point  of  view,  than  the  ordi- 
nary popular  reformers,  commonly  called  orthodox. 
These  were  those  celebrated  Italians,  Latins,  and 
Faustus  Socinusy  with  various  other  writers  who 
flourished  chiefly  in  Poland  and  Transylvania.  The 
writings  of  these  eminent  and  worthy  men  have  been 
of  signal  service  to  the  world,  and  have  led  the  way 
to  other  writers  who  have  risen  up  in  succeeding 
times. — Great  Britain,  the  southern  part  of  the  island 
in  particular,  has  been  blessed  with  much  important 
information  respecting  the  great  points  here  alluded  to, 
from  the  days  of  Biddle  down  to  the  present  times  s 


4  THE    UNITY     OF     GOD 

and  within  the  last  thirty  or  forty  years  through  the 
exertions  of  some  very  enlightened  persons,  know- 
ledge of  this  kind  has  been  exceedingly  diffused, 
and  nothing  is  now  wanting  to  improvement,  but  a 
willing,  candid  and  attentive  mind. 

I  have  thought  proper  to  offer  these  few,  brief 
observations,  as  a  sort  of  prelude  or  introduction  to 
a  series  of  discourses  grounded  upon  the  words  I 
have  just  now  read  to  you.  But  before  I  unfold  my 
general  plan,  or  attempt  in  the  least  to  pursue  the 
subject,  it  will  be  proper  to  trace  the  connection  and 
correspondence  the  words  of  our  text  have  with  the 
preceding  verses.  For  though  they  may  be  consi- 
dered and  handled  as  a  distinct,  independent  propo- 
sition, yet  they  have  an  evident  relation  to  what  the 
Apostle  says  before,  as  appears  from  the  connecting 
particle  for.  For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  media- 
tor between  God  and  ?nen,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

We  must  go  as  far  back  as  the  first  verse  of  this 
second  chapter  before  we  can  arrive  at  the  proper 
connection.  /  exhort  therefore  (says  the  Apostle) 
that,  first  of  all,  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions, 
and  giving  of  thanks  be  made  for  all  men;  for  kings 
and  all  that  are  in  authority  ;  that  we  may  lead  a 
quiet  and  peaceable  life  in  all  godliness  and  honesty . 
For  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God 
our  Saviour :  who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and 
to  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  For  there 
is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and  men, 
the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

To  understand  the  true  sense  of  this  passage  taken 
in  connection,  we  must  have  in  our  view,  that  the 
Jews  of  these  times  were  too  apt  to  confine  the  fa- 
vourable regards  of  God  to  their  own  country,  and 
to  imagine  that  foreign  nations  were  estranged  from 
God,  and  had  no  share  in  his  kindness  and  mercy. 
Of  consequence,  they  would  not  be  disposed  to  be 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.     5 

interested  in  the  welfare  of  mankind  in  general,  cr 
inclined  to  pray  for  them.  Also,  some  of  these  Jews 
were  of  a  mutinous  disposition  and  quite  impatient 
of  their  subjection  to  the  Romans,  and  so  were  likely 
to  treat  with  little  regard  all  civil  governors  but  those 
of  their  own  nation.  But  as  it  pleased  God  to  per- 
mit that  the  power  of  the  Romans  should  prevail  at 
this  time,  and  it  might  have  been  highly  pernicious 
to  the  christian  cause  to  have  manifested  any  kind  of 
hostile  disposition  towards  them,  the  apostle  in  order 
to  counteract  this  impatient  spirit  of  the  Jews  and 
give  a  check  to  their  contracted  notions ;  in  his  in- 
structions to  Timothy  exhorts,  ver.  1,  that,  first  of 
all,  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and giving  of 
thanks,  should  be  made  for  all  men,  of  every  rank 
and  condition  of  life  ;  for  as  none  are  so  high  as  to  be 
above,  or  not  stand  in  need  of,  the  protection  of  the 
Supreme  Being;  so  none  are  so  low  in  point  of 
worldly  station  and  fortune  as  to  be  beneath  his  no- 
tice. He  is  the  common  Father  of  all  the  human 
race,  and  embraces  the  whole  species  in  the  arms  of 
his  universal  benevolence.  His  mercy  and  favour 
are  not  limited  to  any  particular  nation,  or  party,  but 
extend  to  all  men,  and  therefore,  it  is  proper  to  pray 
for  all  men.  Ver.  2.  For  kings  and  all  that  are  in 
authority,  that  we  may  lead  a  quiet  and  peaceable 
life,  in  all  godliness  and  honesty.  The  reason  why 
we  are  commanded  to  pray  for  Kings  or  any  kind  of 
civil  Governors  is,  for  the  moral  and  beneficial  ef- 
fects that  may  attend  a  wise  and  good  administration. 
The  sacred  writers,  in  this  as  well  as  in  other  passa- 
ges when  they  inculcate  obedience  to  civil  rulers, 
go  upon  the  supposition,  that  Government  is  a  real 
blessing,  and  administered  so  as  to  promote  peace, 
good  order  and  general  happiness.  Ver.  3,  and  4. 
For  this  is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God 
our  Saviour ;  who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and 


b  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

to  come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  It  is  agree- 
able to  the  will  of  God,  that  his  believing  people 
should  be  interested  in  the  happiness  of  all  men  in 
every  sphere  of  life,  and  put  up  prayers  for  them, 
as  it  is  his  gracious  wish  and  desire  that  all  men 
should  be  saved  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  be  led  thereby  to  the  attainment  of  ever- 
lasting life.  And  then  follows  in  the  words  of  our 
text,  ver.  5.  For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator 
between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus.  That 
is,  taking  the  meaning  in  connection; — we  have  the 
highest  reason  to  be  interested  in  the  happiness  of 
all  mankind,  both  temporal  and  eternal,  of  every 
nation,  rank  and  degree,  and  to  intercede  in  prayer 
for  them,  for  one  God  is  the  common  creator  and 
parent  of  all.  He  is  no  local,  particular,  limited 
or  national  Deity ;  he  is  not  only  the  God  of  the 
Jews,  but  the  God  of  the  Gentiles  also.  His  grace 
and  favour  are  restricted  to  no  station  or  rank  in 
life,  he  is  equally  the  God  of  the  great,  the  power- 
ful and  the  eminent,  the  King  of  kings,  and  the  Lord 
of  lords,  as  well  as  the  sovereign  of  those  of  inferior 
degree.  All  mankind,  creatures  of  every  sort  and 
description  are  comprehended  under  his  universal 
empire  and  government.  And  not  only  in  this  re- 
spect are  the  whole  species  united  and  consolidated, 
in  having  only  one  God  and  Parent ;  but  they  are. 
still  drawn  closer  together,  and  in  a  secondary  sense 
connected  and  assimilated  by  another  most  tender 
and  endearing  relation,  that  is,  by  having  one  com- 
mon mediator,  or  means  of  access  to  this  one  God, 
who  opens  a  communication  between  God  and  men, 
viz.  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  or  as  it  may  be  rendered, 
Jesus  the  anointed  man. — That  chosen  one  of  God, 
who  was  replenished  with  the  fulness  of  divine  gifts 
and  graces ;  whom  God  anointed  with  the  holy  ghost 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,    &C.  7 

and  ivith  power,*  and  rendered  every  way  fit  and 
qualified  for  the  discharge  of  his  important  media- 
torial  office.  This  eminent  instrument  in  the  hands 
of  God  for  the  deliverance  of  the  human  species 
from  sin  and  death,  sacrificed  his  life,  or  devoted 
himself,  for  the  common  benefit  of  all  mankind, 
and  therefore  it  is  said  in  the  words  immediately 
following  our  text,  that  he  gave  himself  a  ransom  for 
all,  to  be  testified  in  due  time.\ 

What  a  beautiful  sense  does  our  text  supply,  and 
what  a  strong,  affectionate  and  persuasive  motive  to 
universal  benevolence  taken  in  this  connection.  When 
we  consider  the  whole  human  species,  men  of  every 
class  and  situation,  and  in  every  region  under  hea- 
ven, not  as  formed  by  different  beings  with  opposite 
ends  and  views,  but  as  equally  the  production  of 
one  great  and  good  God,  and  all  equally  included 
in  the  mediatorial  office  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus, 
can  we  forbear  loving  them,  or  being  interested  in 
their  happiness  and  prosperity,  and  must  we  not 
see  the  propriety,  reasonableness  and  incumbent 
duty  of  joining  in  supplications,  prayers,  intercessions. 
and  giving  of  thanks  for  the  whole  ? 

*  Acts  x.  38. 
f  This  expression,  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  and  other  similar 
phrases,  must  ever  be  interpreted  in  a  consistency  with  the  goodness, 
mercy  and  free  forgiveness  of  God,  which  is  so  clearly  the  doctrine  of 
the  scriptures  in  a  multitude  of  passages.  Whatever  Jesus  Christ  is  to 
us,  he  is  so,  by  the  decree  and  appointment  of  God.  ICor.i.  30,  31.  But 
of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  and 
righteousness,  and  sanct if  cation,  and  redemption :  that  according  as  it  is 
■written,  He  that  glorieth  let  him  glory  in  the  Lord,  or  in  Jehovah  the 
God  and  Father  of  all.  Here,  the  apostle  Paul  evidently  refers  to  Jer. 
ix.  23,  24.,  to  which  the  reader  for  his  satisfaction  may  turn.  2  Cor.  v. 
18,  19.  And  all  things  are  of  God,  who  hath  reconciled  us  to  himself  by 
Jesus  Christ,  and  hath  given  to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  ;  to  wit, 
that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto  himself,  not  imputing 
their  trespasses  unto  them,  &c. — And  to  quote  no  more,  our  Lord  him- 
self  expressly  affirms  in  that  beautiful  passage,  John  iii.  16.  For 
God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlastivg  Ifc. 


«  THE    UNITY   OF    GOD 

Thus,  we  have  considered  the  words  of  our  text 
as  connected  with  the  foregoing  verses :  but  we  now 
proceed  to  treat  them  as  implying  and  forming  a 
distinct,  independent  proposition,  as  they  really  do  : 
otherwise  theApostle  could  not  have  applied  them  in 
the  manner  he  has  done.  For,  unless  it  had  been 
a  truth  beyond  all  contradiction  clear  and  manifest 
in  our  Apostle's  age,  that  there  is  one  God  and  one 
mediator,  he  could  never  have  made  use  of  this 
axiom  as  an  argment  in  enforcing  the  duty  of  uni- 
versal benevolence. 

Our  text  naturally  divides  itself  into  two  branches 
or  affirmations,  viz. 

First,  That  there  is  one  God. 

Secondly,  That  there  is  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

In  considering  and  treating  the  first  of  these  im- 
portant affirmations  we  propose  to  observe  the  fol- 
lowing method. 

I.  To  demonstrate,  that  by  the  words  one  Godzxe 
meant,  one  single,  individual  being,  agent,  or  per- 
son, viz.  THE  FATHER ;  in  opposition  to  more 
such  individual  beings,  agents  or  persons. 

II.  To  produce  a  sufficient  number  of  passages 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testament  to  prove  that  this 
sense  of  the  words  one  God,  is  sanctioned  and 
confirmed  by  the  concurrent  testimony  of  divine 
Revelation. 

III.  To  reply  to  such  mistaken,  or  ill  interpreted 
passages  of  scripture,  as  have  been  supposed  to  in- 
culcate the  Doctrine  of  a  Trinity  in  general,  or  to 
establish  the  Divinity  of  the  Son  and  the  Personality 
of  the  holy  Spirit  in  particular. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  9 

Our  plan  of  treating  the  second  important  affir- 
mation will  be  as  follows. 

I.  To  evince  the  true  nature  and  character  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  from  a  variety  of  scriptural 
evidence  and  testimonies  concerning  him  ;  or  to 
prove  that  he  was  really  a  man,  as  the  apostle  stiles 
him,  distinguished  and  dignified  by  extraordinary 
powers,  gifts,  graces  and  qualifications :  the  ?nan 
Christ  Jesus,  or  Jesus  the  anointed  man. 

II.  To  reply  to  the  objections  of  those  who  adopt 
the  Arian  system  ;  with  respect  to  the  supposed 
Pre-existence  of  Christ,  and  his  having  been  em- 
ployed as  an  agent  or  instrument  in  the  formation 
of  the  world   or  first  creation. 

III.  To  endeavour  to  show,  that  the  doctrine  of 
the  Proper  Humanity  of  Christ,  was  not  only  taught 
by  the  Apostles,  but  held  in  the  earliest  Jewish  and 
Gentile  churches,  and  by  what  steps  and  degrees  it 
became  corrupted,  and  the  present  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity  took  its  rise. 

We  return  then  to  the  first  affirmation,  or  gene- 
ral division  of  our  subject,  viz.  that  there  is  one  God. 
Under  this,  we  proposed  to  demonstrate  in  the  first 
place,  that  by  the  words  one  God,  are  meant  one 
single,  individual  being,  agent,  or  person,  viz.  the 
Father,  in  opposition  to  more  such  individual  beings, 
agents  or  persons.  And  here  I  may  venture  to  ap- 
peal to  any  one  of  competent  understanding  and 
sound  judgment,  whether  the  words  one  God  do  not 
naturally  convey  to  the  mind  the  idea  of  a  single 
agent  or  person,  and  no  more.  The  word  God,  by 
itself,  offers  to  our  conceptions,  the  notion  of  the 
supreme,  infinite  mind  or  Spirit;  and  when  the  nu- 
merical adjective  one  is  placed  before  it,  it  necessa- 
rily signifies,  that  no  other  being,  agent,  or  person, 
except  that  one  can  be  God.  For,  to  say  there  is 
one  God,  is  equivalent  to  saying,  that  there  is  but 
C 


10  THE  UNITV  OF  GOD 

one  person  who  is  God  ;  and  in  strictness  of  speech, 
the  original  Greek  words  may  be  so  rendered. 
When  we  say,  that  there  is  one  God,  or  one  per- 
son who  is  God,  we  at  the  same  time  deny,  that 
two  or  three  persons  can  be  God. 

It  may  still  farther  illustrate  the  subject  in  hand, 
if  we  apply  the  numerical  adjective  one  to  other  ob- 
jects, and  consider  the  force  of  it  when  so  applied. 
Thus,  when  I  say,  there  is  one  angel,  one  man,  one 
horse,  one  tree,  &c.  I  can  be  only  understood  to 
mean  according  to  the  proper  force  and  use  of 
words,  a  single,  individual  angel,  man,  horse,  tree, 
&c.  in  opposition  to  more  individuals  of  each  spe- 
cies. And  if  this  be  a  just  and  grammatical  way  of 
speaking  with  regard  to  Creatures,  it  is  much  more 
so  when  applied  to  the  Supreme  Being.  For  Crea- 
tures are  finite,  and  therefore  capable  of  being 
multiplied  and  prodigiously  diversified  under  each 
class  and  species  ;  but  the  Supreme  Being  is  infinite, 
and  therefore  incapable  of  multiplication  and  diver- 
sity. To  say  there  is  one  God,  is  in  fact  to  say, 
there  is  one  infinite  being  or  person,  and  this  ex- 
cludes the  very  idea  and  conception  of  another  :  for 
what  is  infinite,  must  be  immense,  unlimited,  un- 
confined  and  eternal,  and  consequently,  can  admit 
of  no  partner  or  co-equal. 

The  doctrine  of  one  God,  or  one  infinite  mind  or 
Spirit,  is  so  clearly  and  undeniably  the  doctrine  of 
divine  revelation,  that  Trinitarians  however  incon- 
sistently with  the  notion  of  a  Trinity  of  divine  per- 
sons find  themselves  obliged  to  admit  it ;  and  there- 
fore affirm  that  there  are  three  persons  and  one  God. 
This  is  the  very  notion  inculcated  by  the  Athana- 
sian  creed,  and  is  affirmed  over  and  over  with  amaz- 
ing inconsistency  and  self  contradiction.  In  con- 
formity to  the  affirmations  of  this  wonderful  symbol, 
the   two   great  national  establishments   of   Great 


IN  THE   PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  11 

Britain,  have  inserted  the  same  doctrine  into  their 
public  articles  and  confessions  of  faith.  "  There  is  but 
"  one  living  and  true  God,  &c.  And  in  unity  of 
"  this  Godhead,  there  be  three  persons  of  one  sub- 
"  stance,  power,  and  eternity  ;  the  Father,  the  Son, 
"  and  the  Holy  Ghost,"  say  the  Articles  of  the  one  : 
"  There  are  three  persons  in  the  Godhead,  the  Fa- 
"  ther,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  these  three 
"  are  one  God,  the  same  in  substance,  equal  in 
"  in  power,  and  in  glory,"  says  the  Confession,  or 
Catechism  of  the  other. 

When  we  hear  such  contradictory  positions  af- 
firmed, when  we  find  them  established  by  human 
authority,  and  enforced  by  assent  and  subscription  ; 
it  is  surely  no  more  than  reasonable  to  require  an 
explication,  and  to  call  upon  these  peremptory  af- 
firmants to  attempt  a  reconciliation  of  their  doc- 
trine with  that  of  Paul  and  other  sacred  writers. 
There  is  one  God,  says  Paul,  without  any  exception, 
limitation,  or  reservation  :  and  this  one  God,  as  suf- 
ficiently appears  from  the  whole  tenor  of  his  writ- 
ings, can  be  no  other  than  the  God  and  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  blessed  for  evermore  *  or  as 
he  stiles  him  elsewhere,  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus 

Christ,  the  Father  of  glory, of  whom  the  whole 

family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named.f  The  idea  of 
more  divine  persons  than  one  never  entered  into  our 
apostle's  mind,  else  he  would  never  have  expressed 
himself  so  unguardedly.  Had  the  great  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  who  received  not  his  Gospel  from  man, 
neither  was  he  taught  it,  but  by  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ,  I  had  he  I  say,  who  shunned  not  to  declare 
all  the  counsel  of  God,  ||  known  any  thing  of  a  Trinity 
in  Unity,  he  would  not  have  failed  to  communicate 
the  same  to  his  hearers,  and  to  the  members  of  the 

*  2  Cor.  xi.  31.      f  Eph.  i.  17.  iii.  15.      i  Gal.  i.  12.      ||  Acts  xx.  27. 


12  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

different  churches  to  whom  he  wrote.  When  he 
affirms  in  the  words  of  our  text,  that  there  is  one 
God,  he  at  the  same  time  adds,  that  there  is  one  me- 
diator between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus  ; 
and  by  this  addition  he  excludes  the  mediator  from 
being  in  any  respect  that  God  in  behalf  of  whom 
he  mediates.  It  is  somewhat  strange,  that  an  in- 
spired teacher  should  stand  in  need  of  being  correct 
ed  by  those  who  came  after  him  ;  and  that  ancient 
Fathers  and  modern  divines  should  be  capable  of 
stating  and  defining  divine  truths  with  more  clearness 
and  accuracy,  than  those  who  received  their  light 
from  heaven. 

But  in  order  that  we  may  treat  our  opponents 
with  all  proper  candour  and  fairness,  let  us  hear  in 
what  manner  they  attempt  to  unfold  and  explain 
their  doctrine,  so  far  as  reason  is  concerned.  For 
their  scriptural  arguments,  according  to  the  plan  we 
have  laid  down,  are  reserved  for  another  place.  Of 
late  years,  the  patrons  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity 
have  been  very  shy  in  offering  any  explications  at 
all ;  they  have  rather  chosen  to  fold  themselves  in 
the  arms  of  mystery,  than  to  come  forward  and  meet 
their  opponents  on  equal  ground.  Their  predeces- 
sors however  were  more  open  and  unreserved,  and 
thought  it  became  them  to  attempt  at  least  to  offer 
something  like  a  rational  account  of  their  religious 
opinions. 

One  celebrated  Trinitarian  divine,  in  reply  to  an 
Unitarian  writer,  attempted  to  cut  the  knot  at  once, 
and  to  make  the  doctrine  of  a  Trinity  in  Unity  quite 
plain,  simple  and  intelligible.  He  affirmed  that  the 
three  divine  persons  were  three  distinct,  infinite 
minds,  or  intelligent  beings,  united  by  a  mutual 
consciousness,  and  a  mutual  inexistence.  This  was 
certainly  the  fairest  and  most  honest  explication 
ever  given  of  the  Trinity   in  modern   ti  mes ;   but 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  3  5 

it  laboured  under  this  vast  inconveniency,  that  it  de- 
stroyed the  Unity,  and  went  to  establish  direct  Trithe- 
ism,  or  the  belief  of  three  Gods.  For  undoubtedly, 
the  words,  three  distinct  infinite  minds,  or  intelligent 
beings,  are  nothing  else  but  the  definition  of  three 
Gods.  The  mutual  consciousness,  that  the  author  sup- 
poses and  insists  upon  so  much,  will  never  make  these 
three  beings  one  God  in  the  scriptural  sense;  no  more 
than  three  men  capable  of  knowing  one  another's 
thoughts  would  become  one  man  in  consequence.  Nor 
will  mutual  inexistence  remove  the  difficulty  at  all ; 
for  if  such  a  thing  be  possible,  the  essence  of  each 
person  must  be  supposed  to  remain  entire,  and  not  to 
be  confounded  or  blended  with  the  essence  of  an- 
other, and  consequently,  each  being  will  be  still  dis- 
tinct and  independent,  though  in  a  state  of  union  and 
conjunction.  This  scheme,  therefore,  not  only  af- 
forded great  triumph  to  the  Unitarians,  but  gave 
great  scandal  to  Trinitarians  themselves ;  and  was 
solemnly  condemned  as  impious  and  heretical  by  a 
celebrated  English  University. 

Another  eminent  Trinitarian  divine,  grieved  to  find 
his  cause  so  much  hurt  by  the  unguarded  Tritheism  of 
the  preceding  writer,  advanced  a  quite  different  me- 
thod of  explication.  He  affirmed,  that  what  Trini- 
tarians call  persons  or  personalities  in  the  Godhead 
were  not  beings  or  substances,  but  modes,  manners, 
habitudes,  postures,  &c.  This  scheme  was  almost  the 
reverse  of  the  former.  So  far  as  we  can  understand 
the  obscure  terms  of  the  author,  it  appeared  to  pre- 
serve the  Unity,  but  it  quite  annihilated  the  Trinity. 
For  with  what  propriety  can  a  mode  or  manner  of 
being,  not  implying  distinct  agency  or  intelligence,  be 
called  a  Person. 

A  third  scheme  was  advanced  by  another  learned 
man,  according  to  which  the  three  persons  in  the 
Trinity  are  explained  to  be  three  qualifications ;  or 


M  THE  UNITY  Or  GOD 

characters,  and  relations  that  God  stands  in  to  his 
creatures,  as  Creator,  Redeemer,  and  Sanctifier.  But 
this  scheme,  was  a  mere  Sabellian  turn,  a  sort  of  Uni- 
tarianism  in  disguise,  and  in  effect,  giving  up  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity  altogether. 

A  fourth  scheme  of  a  Trinity  has  been  proposed, 
in  which  all  the  three  persons  are  declared  to  be 
eternal  and  distinct,  but  the  Father  alone  supreme, 
and  the  Son  and  Spirit  deriving  their  existence  from 
him,  and  inferior  in  dignity  and  power  to  him.  This 
scheme,  is  a  mixture  of  Arianism  and  Tritheism.  It  as- 
serts three  distinct  minds  and  substances,  or  one  Su- 
preme Deity,  and  two  inferior  subordinate  Gods. 

These  are  the  most  considerable  schemesof  aTrinity 
that  have  been  advanced  in  modern  times,  and  to 
which  ail  the  rest  may  in  some  measure  be  reducible. 
For  were  we  to  reckon  up  all  the  slight  and  minute 
differences  of  opinion  on  this  subject,  in  ancient  and 
modern  times,  the  detail  would  be  very  copious,  and  the 
labour  I  apprehend,  tend  little  to  our  improvement. 
Indeed,  the  Trinitarian  writers  very  seldom  adhere 
long  to  one  method  of  explication.  When  they  are 
pressed  close  by  their  Unitarian  opponents  with  strong 
arguments  from  scripture  and  reason  in  favour  of 
the  Divine  Unity ;  they  almost  lose  sight  of  the 
Trinity,  and  when  they  come  to  speak  of  the  Incar- 
nation, they  return  to  Tritheism  again.  Never  was 
there  a  pretence  more  ill  founded  than  the  boasted 
uniformity  of  opinion  that  Trinitarians  lay  claim  to. 
Their  most  celebrated  writers  have  adopted  different 
theories,  quite  incompatible  with  one  another ;  and 
have  carried  on  a  controversial  war,  full  of  rancour 
and  bitterness.  And  numbers,  I  may  say  the  great 
body  of  those  that  profess  to  believe  in  a  Trinity, 
believe  they  know  not  what*  and  can  give  no  explica-. 

*  John  iv.  22. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  15 

tion  of  their  tenets.  It  makes  much  against  the  truth 
of  any  opinion  whatever,  when  the  terms  in  which  it 
is  expressed  are  quite  unintelligible,  and  when  its  pro- 
fessed advocates  and  most  zealous  defenders,  either 
decline  giving  any  explication,  or  differ  materially 
and  fundamentally  from  one  another  in  their  expli- 
cations. 

What  reason  have  we  to  be  thankful,  that  God  in 
the  course  of  his  providence  hath  opened  our  eyes, 
and  brought  us  from  darkness,  confusion  and  mys- 
tery, into  his  marvellous  light*.  The  doctrine  of  the 
Scriptures  concerning  God  is  expressed  in  plain,  in- 
telligible language  ;  the  simple  and  perfect  Unity  of 
the  divine  nature  is  asserted  without  any  figure,  co- 
vering, or  disguise,  in  a  great  variety  of  places ;  all 
confirming  the  declaration  of  our  apostle,  that,  there 
is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and  men,  the 
7iian  Christ  Jesus.  We  find  no  terms  of  art  employed, 
no  positions  expressed  in  words  that  convey  no  corre- 
sponding ideas.  Every  thing  is  suited  to  the  plainest 
and  least  cultivated  understanding,  and  may  be  com- 
prehended by  every  person  endued  with  the  right  ex- 
ercise of  reason. 

In  this  introductory  discourse,  we  have  kept  closely 
to  the  elucidation  of  the  words  of  our  text,  and  such 
points  as  are  connected  with  it.  In  some  future  dis- 
courses, we  shall  pursue  the  plan  we  have  laid  down, 
and  enter  more  fully  into  the  scripture  evidence  at 
large,  respecting  the  Divine  Unity.  To  the  GOD 
AND  FATHER  OF  ALL,  in  whose  inconceivably 
glorious  person,  this  Unity  resides,  and  can  only  be 
found,  be  ascribed  everlasting  homage  and  praise,  in 
the  name  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  the  mediator.  Amen. 

*  1  Pet.  ii.  9. 


DISSERTATION   II. 

THE  UNITY  OF  GOD  IN  THE  PERSON 
OF  THE  FATHER, 

DEMONSTRATED    FROM  THE 

SCRIPTURES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 


1   TIMOTHY  11.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

IN  every  part  of  the  Bible,  our  only  standard 
in  matters  of  Faith,  the  great  doctrine  of  the  Divine 
Unity,  is  either  directly  expressed  or  clearly  implied. 
We  find  no  traces,  or  indications  of  a  diversity,  or 
multiplicity  of  Deities.  One  great,  infinite  mind  or 
Spirit,  possessed  of  all  natural  and  moral  perfections, 
is  uniformly  held  forth  to  us  in  every  part  of  the  sa- 
cred volume.  Indeed,  it  was  the  chief  and  principal 
end  of  the  Jewish  Oeconomy,  to  inculcate,  keep  up, 
and  preserve  the  impressions  of  this  great  and  im- 
portant truth.  In  this  respect  the  theology  of  the 
Hebrews  was  materially  different  from  that  of  all  an- 
cient nations. 

If  you  open  Homer,  or  Virgil,  or  any  ancient 
Greek  or  Roman  writer,  you  will  be  at  no  loss  to 
discover  that  the  popular,  Pagan  theology,  admitted 
of  a  variety  of  Deities.  You  will  find  Gods  celes- 
tial, terrestrial,  and  infernal ;  Gods  of  the  land  and 
the  water,  of  the  hills  and  the  vallies,  and  every  part 


IN  THE   PERSON  OF  THE   FATHER,  &C.  17 

of  nature.  But  in  the  writings  of  Moses  and  the  pro- 
phets you  find  quite  the  reverse.  There  you  disco- 
ver without  any  difficulty,  that  JEHOVAH,  the  God 
of  Israel,  the  God  of  universal  nature,  is  the  only  God 
and  object  of  worship,  that  besides  iiim  there  is  none, 
that  all  other  supposed  Gods,  are  the  fictions  of 
human  vanity,  and  the  vain,  pernicious  conceits  of  a 
disordered  fancy,  tainted  and  depraved  with  the  vi- 
lest superstition. 

But  that  we  may  not  rest  in  general  assertion,  let 
us  examine  and  specify  what  Moses  and  the  Prophets 
have  delivered  with  respect  to  this  important  topic, 
to  whose  writings  we  propose  to  confine  our  inquiries 
at  present. 

Upon  opening  the  books  of  Moses  we  find  a  de- 
scription of  the  creation  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth. 
If  there  were  more  Deities  or  divine  persons  than  one, 
here  we  might  naturally  expect  to  find  some  account 
of  them.  But  Moses  represents  every  part  of  nature 
as  created  and  formed  by  one  great  being  or  agent, 
and  no  more.  In  the  beginning,  he  says  in  general  terms, 
God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth;*  and  then 
he  goes  on  to  particularize  the  formation  of  all  the 
different  parts  of  nature  ;  but  he  introduces  no  dif- 
ferent agents  on  the  scene,  supreme  or  subordinate  ; 
no  Trinity  of  Gods  ;  every  thing  is  the  work  of  one 
divine  person,  one  great  creative  Architect,  under 
whose  forming  hand  the  new  born  world  arises  in  per- 
fect order  and  beauty. 

But  here,  that  I  may  leave  no  room  for  cavil,  it 
may  be  proper  to  anticipate  an  objection  which  has 
been  a  stumbling  block  in  the  way  of  some,  and  a 
hindrance  to  the  reception  of  the  truth.  It  has  been 
urged  by  trinitarian  writers,  that  the  Hebrew  word 
rendered  God,  is  Elohim  or  Aleim,  and  of  a  plural 
termination,  though  construed  with  a  verb  in  the  sin- 
t 

*Gen.  i.  1. 

D 


IS  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

gular ;  thus  God  created  may  be  rendered  literally, 
Gods  he  created.  From  this  irregularity  in  the  He- 
brew language  some  trinitarian  writers  would  infer, 
a  plurality  of  divine  persons.  But  other  writers  on 
that  side  of  the  question,  particularly  Calvin,  sensible 
of  the  weakness  of  this  argument  have  fairly  given  it 
up,  and  owned  there  is  no  force  in  it.  And  indeed 
it  would  have  been  a  strange  way  of  discovering  a 
truth  of  this  kind  to  mankind,  to  give  intimation  of 
it  by  a  grammatical  nicety,  which  some  of  the  best 
critics  have  otherwise  explained.  A  candid  man, 
who  weighs  things  fairly,  would  say,  that  the  singu- 
lar verb  was  sufficient  to  determine  the  singular  sig- 
nification of  the  word  that  goes  before  it ;  and  all 
translators  it  seems  have  thought  so  ;  for  in  no  lan- 
guage or  translation  of  the  Bible  whatever,  has  it 
been  otherwise  rendered  than  in  our  version.  I  have 
elsewhere  produced  some  criticisms  on  this  subject, 
which  I  do  not  think  it  necessary  to  introduce  here.* 
But  I  shall  assign  an  infallible  argument  sufficient  at 
once  to  remove  the  force  of  this  objection;  and  that  is, 
that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles  in  quot- 
ing passages  from  the  Old  Testament,  where  the  word 
Elohim  occurs  translate  it  always  by  6ds,  or  God, 
in  the  singular.  After  this,  no  more  needs  be  said  on 
the  subject. 

A  second  objection  has  been  formed  from  Gen.  i. 
2.  The  spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  wa- 
ters. This  is  removed  entirely  when  we  consider, 
that  by  the  spirit  of  God,  according  to  the  significa- 
tion of  the  word,  nothing  more  is  meant  than  the  di- 
vine afflatus  or  energy,  which  moved  or  animated  the 
shapeless  mass,  and  brought  it  into  its  proper  form. 

The  Psalmist  is  an  excellent  commentator  on  this 
passage,  when  he  says  Ps.  xxxiii.  6, — 9.  By  the  word  of 

*  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity,  2d  Edit.  Montros^  1790,  p.  IIS 
♦jo  121.  * 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  19 

Jehovah  were  the  heavens  made  :  and  all  the  host  of  them 
by  the  breath  of  his  mouth. — For  he  spake,  and  it  was 
done;  he  commanded ',  and  it  stood  fast. 

A  third  objection  which  some  may  think  more  for- 
midable than  any  of  the  rest,  has  been  started  from 
Gen.  i.  26.  And  God  said,  let  us  make  man  in  our  im- 
age, after  our  likeness.  Much  has  been  said  upon  this 
passage ;  but  every  argument  for  a  plurality  of  di- 
vine persons  drawn  from  it  may  be  overthrown  by 
the  two  following  considerations. 

1.  In  the  verse  immediately  following,  the  effect  of 
the  divine  purpose,  or  the  actual  creation  of  man,  is 
expressed  in  the  most  decisive,  singular  terms,  Gen.  i. 
27.  So  God  created  man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image 
of  God  created  he  him  :  male  and  female  created  he 
them,  t  Attend  to  this  passage,  for  it  has  been  strangely 
overlooked  by  those  who  make  use  of  the  preceding- 
verse  as  an  objection.  It  is  surprising  that  Trinita- 
rian writers  will  not  allow  Moses  to  be  his  own  inter- 
preter, that  they  will  attempt  to  father  their  own 
spurious,  Pagan  notions  upon  him,  contrary  to  his 
own  express  explication  of  his  meaning.  The  words 
his,  and  he  twice  repeated,  in  the  27th  verse,  are  suf- 
ficient, if  we  will  be  fair  and  candid,  to  remove  all 
ambiguity  from  the  plural  pronouns  in  the  26th  verse. 

2.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  certainly  knew  the 
truth  of  the  matter,  whether  one  or  more  agents  were 
concerned  in  the  formation  of  man,  says,  Mark  x.  6. 
But  fr 07ii  the  beginning  of  the  creation,  God  made  them 
male  and  female.  Observe,  he  uses  the  word  6&,  or 
God,  in  the  singular,  and  uses  no  terms  implying 
plurality,  or  more  creators  than  one.  In  Matthew, 
xix.  4.  the  same  idea  is  expressed,  in  a  manner  still 
more  precise.  And  he  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
have  ye  not  read,  that  he  which  made  them  at  the  be- 
ginning, made  them  male  and  female  ?  After  this,  what 
can  we  desire  more  to  satisfy  us,  that  no  plurality  of 
persons  was  intended  in  the  26th  verse  ? 

j  See  also,  Gen.  ii.  2,  3.  V.  1,  2. 


20  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

If  it  shall  be  asked,  why  then  these  plural  ex- 
pressions were  used  at  all,  it  may  be  answered,  that  it  is 
nothing  uncommon  for  single  persons  to  speak  in  the 
plural,  particularly  on  great  and  solemn  occasions,  and 
that  it  is  expressive  of  majesty  and  dignity  so  to  do. 
The  Jewish  Commentators  and  Paraphrasts  think  not 
improbably,  that  in  the  26th  verse  there  is  a  refer- 
ence to  the  Angels  or  those  superior  intellectual  be- 
ings who  were  present  at  the  creation  of  man.  With 
this  view,  they  paraphrase  the  26th  verse,  "  And  Je- 
"  hovah  said  to  the  Angels  who  minister  before  him, 
"  let  us  make  man,  &c." 

What  we  have  said,  I  think  is  abundantly  sufficient 
to  obviate  the  objections  formed  upon  the  mistaken 
sense  of  a  few  words  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  ; 
and  consequently  the  argument  in  favour  of  the  di- 
vine Unity,  arising  from  the  creation  in  general, 
and  that  of  man  in  particular,  being  the  work  of  a 
single  agent,  remains  in  full  force.  And  this  argu- 
ment will  be  found  to  be  very  strong  and  con- 
clusive. For  if  there  had  been  more  Creators  than 
one,  undoubtedly,  express  mention  of  them  wouldhave 
been  made  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis.  We  should 
have  been  told  in  plain  and  unequivocal  terms,  that 
would  have  left  no  room  for  doubt  and  hesitation. 
But  as  every  suggestion  of  this  kind  has  been  proved 
to  be  a  mistake ;  and  the  whole  universe  is  the  work 
of  one  transcendently  great  and  glorious  Being,  there 
is  not  the  shadow  of  a  rational  argument  that  can  be 
urged  in  favour  of  the  existence  of  any  person  strictly 
and  properly  divine,  besides  him  who  made  the 
world. 

But  let  us  go  on  to  consider  what  Moses  relates 
concerning  the  Divine  Being  in  other  passages. 

When  God  establishes  his  covenant  with  Noah 
the  general  ancestor  of  mankind  after  the  flood,  in- 
cluding all  his  posterity,  the  terms  are  expressly  sin- 
gular, Gen.  ix.  8,  9.  And  God  spake  unto  Noah,  and 


IN    THE    PERSON   OF  THE  FATHER,    &C.  21 

to  his  sons  with  him,  saying,  And  I,  behold,  I  establish 
my  covenant  with  you,  and  with  your  seed  after  you; 
%$c.  ver.  12.  And  God  said,  This  is  the  token  of  the  co- 
venant which  I  make  between  me  and  you,  and  every 
living  creature  that  is  with  you,  for  perpetual  genera- 
tions, &c. 

In  Gen.  Chap.  xvii.  I.  when  God  renews  his  co- 
venant with  Abram,  he  addresses  him  as  follows, 
And  Jehovah  appeared  to  Abram,  and  said  unto  him, 
I  am  the  Almighty  God  ;  walk  before  me,  and  be  thou 
perfect,  &c.  The  same  Abram,  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ter, making  an  appeal  to  God  when  speaking  to  the 
king  of  Sodom,  Gen.  xiv.  22,  says,  I  have  lift  up  mint 
hand  unto  Jehovah,  the  most  high  God,  the  possessor  of 
heaven  and  earth.  These  and  other  passages  in  the 
book  of  Genesis  f  discover  clearly  to  us,  that  Abra- 
ham, the  Father  of  the  Faithful  and  Friend  of  God, 
knew  of  no  other  God  or  divine  -agent  but  Jehovah, 
and  that  he  considered  him  only  as  one  being  or  per. 
son.  Now  the  Faith  of  Abraham  is  spoken  of  with 
great  commendation  in  the  New  Testament ;  for  we 
are  told  Rom.  iv.  3.  (where  the  words  of  Moses 
Gen.  xv.  6,  are  quoted)  that  Abraham  believed  God 
and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteousness :  and 
again  ver.  24th  of  the  same  chapter,  it  is  said  of  the 
same  Faith,  that  it  shall  be  imputed  to  us,  if  we  believe 
on  him  that  raised  up  Jesus  our  Lord  from  the  dead,  &c. 
This  proves,  that  the  belief  of  the  Divine  Unity 
forms  an  essential  part  of  true  Faith,  even  that  Faith 
by  which  we  are  justified.  The  Faith  of  the  other 
Patriarchs  Isaac  and  Jacob  prior  to  the  Mosaic  dispen- 
sation was  the  same  with  that  of  Abraham;  for  God 
revealed  himself  to  them  under  the  same  singular 
character;  f  as  well  as  to  Moses  himself  personally.  J 

"  See,  Gen.  xii.  1,  2,  3.  xv.  1,  2,-6.  &c. 
I  Gen.  xxvi.  24.  xxviii.  13,  14,  15. 
t  Exod.  iii.  6.  vi.  2,  3,  to  8 


22  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

When  the  law  was  given  from  Mount  Sinai  to  the 
Israelites  with  great  majesty  and  solemnity  by  the 
Supreme  being  himself,  we  find  the  personal  Unity 
of  the  Divine  Being  contained  in  the  preface  and 
forming  the  first  precept  of  it.  Exod.  xx.  1,  2,  3. 
And  God  spake  all  these  words,  saying,  I  am  Jehovah 
thy  God,  which  have  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage.  Thou  shalt  have  no 
other  Gods  before  me*.  Again  Deut.  vi.  4,  5,  6,  7, 
8,  9.  Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord, 
or  as  it  may  be  more  properly  rendered,  Jehovah  our 
God,  Jehovah  is  one.  And  thou  shalt  love  Jehovah  thy 
God  with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with 
all  thy  might.  And  these  words  which  I  command  thee 
this  day  shall  be  in  thine  heart.  And  thou  shalt  teach 
them  diligently  unto  thy  children,  and  shalt  talk  of  them 
when  thou  sit  test  in  thine  house,  and  when  thou  walkest 
by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou 
risest  up.  And  thou  shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thine 
hand,  arid  they  shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine  eyes. 
And  thou  shalt  write  them  upon  the  posts  of  thy  house, 
and  on  thy  gates. 

These  passages  are  exceedingly  momentous,  and 
deserve  to  be  duly  weighed  according  to  their  vast 
importance.  The  Divine  Unity  is  here  made  the  ba- 
sis of  God's  covenant  with  his  people  Israel,  a  truth 
which  they  are  never  to  lose  sight  of,  but  to  have  in 
view  at  all  times  as  a  matter  of  indispensable  obliga- 
tion ;  and  to  bring  their  children  to  an  acquaintance 
with  it;  and  to  carry  a  sense  of  it  through  every  scene 
and  transaction  of  human  life.  The  doctrine  is  here 
delivered  with  a  degree  of  precision  and  accuracy 
which  no  sophistry  can  ever  get  the  better  of.    /  am 

-  -aid  of"  the  same  Jehovah,  or  I  and  Me,  Exod.  xx.  11.  For  in 
six  days  Jehovah  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  thkt  in  them  is, 
and  reeled  the  seventh  dav,  tVc. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  28 

Jehovah  thy  God.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  Gods  before 
me.  Jehovah  our  God,  Jehovah  is  one.  It  is  incumbent 
upon  those  who  set  up  or  hold  forth  any  God  or  di- 
vine person,  besides  the  I,  Me,  or  one  Jehovah 
here  mentioned,  to  shew  when  this  command  became 
repealed,  and  by  what  authority  it  was  repealed.  And 
they  must  excuse  us  if  we  demand  some  better  autho- 
rity for  the  repeal  of  such  a  command  than  that  of 
Constantine,  the  Council  of  Nice,  the  Athanasian 
Creed,  or  even  the  British  Parliament.  A  law  enacted 
by  God  himself,  confirmed  by  his  prophets,  and  au- 
thenticated by  the  most  awful  denunciations,  is  pa- 
ramount and  superior  to  all  human  laws. 

And  yet  it  is  a  melancholy  but  certain  truth,  that 
the  decisions  and  constitutions  of  every  established 
church  in  Christendom  have  run  counter  to  this  aw- 
ful mandate  of  the  Supreme  Being.  Though  in  words 
they  seem  to  acknowledge  its  obligation  and  say  there 
is  One  God,  yet  this  is  nothing  but  an  unmeaning 
compliment;  for  they  take  all  back  again  when  they 
affirm  that  besides  the  Father  the  only  true  God ;  there 
is  a  God  the  Son,  and  a  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  I  and 
Me  three  times  repeated  are  certainly  more  than  a 
single  I  and  Me  :  and  if  there  be  any  truth  in  num- 
bers three  can  never  be  one,  nor  one  three.  Those 
therefore  who  assert  three  divine  persons  and  ascribe 
distinct  divine  honours  to  each,  do  in  fact  repeal  this 
command,  however  much  they  may  affirm  they  still 
believe  in  one  God.  Let  not  these  remarks  appear 
severe;  they  are  nothing  more  than  just  consequences 
drawn  from  the  opinion  I  am  necessarily  led  to  op- 
pose by  the  subject  I  have  undertaken  to  treat. 

These  passages  I  have  quoted  are  only  a  specimen 
out  of  a  vast  number  to  be  found  in  the  writings  of 
Moses,  in  which  the  Divine  Unity  is  held  forth  to 
the  Israelites  as  a  truth  of  the  last  importance,  the 
foundation,  of  the  divine  covenant,  the  corner  stone 


24  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

of  their  religion,  on  which  their  attention  was  always 
to  be  fixed,  and  the  most  jealous  circumspection  used, 
lest  at  any  time  this  capital  doctrine  should  be  debased 
or  corrupted  by  an  imitation  of  the  Idolatry  of  the 
surrounding  nations.  Indeed,  a  great  part  of  the 
book  of  Deuteronomy  may  be  profitably  read  over 
with  a  view  to  this  subject.  And  the  reader  who  will 
do  so  will  find  his  pains  amply  rewarded,  by  the  many, 
animated  appeals  that  Moses  makes  on  this  subject, 
so  well  calculated  to  touch  a  susceptible  mind.  But 
that  I  may  not  be  tedious  in  quotation,  I  hasten  to 
consider  what  the  other  sacred  writers  and  holy  men 
have  advanced  on  this  subject. 

1  Kings  viii.  22,  23, — 27  And  Solomon  stood  before 
the  altar  of  Jehovah,  in  the  presence  of  all  the  congre- 
gation of  Israel,  and  spread  forth  his  hands  towards  hea- 
<uen:  and  he  said,  Jehovah  God  of  Israel,  there  is  no 
God  like  thee  in  heaven  above,  or  on  earth  beneath, 
who  keepest  covenant  and  mercy  with  thy  servants,  that 

walk  before   thee  with  all  their  heart: But  will 

God  indeed  dwell  on  the  earth?  behold  the  heaven  and 
the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain  thee,  how  much 
less  this  house  that  I  have  builded.  2  Kings  xix.  15. 
And  Hezekiah  prayed  before  Jehovah  and  said,  0  Jeho- 
vah God  of  Israel,  who  dwellest  between  the  cherubims, 
thou  art  the  God,  even  thou  alone,  of  all  the  kingdoms 
of  the  earth,  thou  hast  made  heaven  and  earth.  Neh. 
ix.  6  7, — 13.  Thou,  even  thou  art  Jehovah  alone, 
thou  hast  made  heaven,  the  heaven  of  heavens  with  all 
their  host,  the  earth  and  all  things  that  are  therein,  the 
seas  and  all  that  is  therein,  and  thou  preservest  them 
all,  and  the  host  of  heaven  worshippeth  thee.  Thou 
art  Jehovah  the  God,  who  didst  choose  Abram,  and 
brought  him  forth  outofUr  of  the  Chaldees,  and  gavest 

him  the  name  of  Abraham,  &c- Thou  ca?nest  down 

also  upon  mount  Sinai,  and  spakest  with  them  (the  Is- 
raelites) from  heaven,  and  gavest  them  right  judgments, 


IN   THE   PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  25 

and  true   laws,  good  statutes   and  (ommandments. 

In  the  book  of  Job,  and  particularly  in  the  Psalms, 
we  have  many  sublime  descriptions,  of  the  peerless 
majesty  of  Jehovah,  or  his  superiority  to  all  other  be- 
ings; and  we  find  him  always  addressed  or  spoken  of 
by  the  singular  pronouns  thou  and  he,  &c.  In- 
stances of  this  kind  occur  in  most  Psalms  and  every- 
one of  them  amounts  to  a  proof  of  the  strict  and  ab- 
solute oneness  of  the  divine  Being.  A  few  of  these  it 
may  be  proper  here  to  recite. 

Job  xii.  7  to  10.  But  ask  now  the  beasts,  and  they 
shall  teach  thee;  a?id  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  they  shall 
tell  thee :  Or  speak  to  the  earth  and  it  shall  teach  thee; 
and  the  fishes  of  the  sea  shall  declare  unto  thee.  Who 
knoweth  not  in  all  these,  that  the  hand  of  Jehovah  hath 
wrought  this?  In  whose  hand  is  the  soul  (or  life)  of 
every  living  thing,  and  the  breath  of  all  mankind. 
xxxviii.  4.  Where  was  tthou  when  /(Jehovah)  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  earth  ?  declare,  if  thou  hast  under- 
standing, SsV.  Ps.  viii.  1 — 3,  4.  0  Jehovah  our  Lord, 
how  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth!  who  hast  set 

thy  glory  above  the  heavens. When  I  consider  thy 

heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars 
which  thou  hast  ordained ;  What  is  man  that  thou 
art  mindful  of  him?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  vi- 
sitest  him?  xix.  1.  The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of 
God :  and  the  firmament  sheweth  his  handy-work,  &c. 
lxv.  2.  0  Thou  that  hearest  prayer,  unto  thee  shall 
all  flesh  come,  lxxxiii.  1 8.  That  men  may  know  that 
thou,  whose  name  alone  is  Jehovah,  art  the  most 
high  over  all  the  earth,  lxxxvi.  8,  9,  10.  Among  the 
Gods  there  is  none  like  unto  thee,  0  Jehovah,  neither  are 
there  any  works  like  unto  thy  works.  All  nations  whom 
thou  hast  made  shall  come,  and  worship  before  thee, 
0  Jehovah ;  and  shall  glorify  thy  name.  For  thou 
E 


f2S  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

art  great,  and  dost  wondrous  things:  thou  art  God 
alone,  c.  3,  4,  5.  Know  ye  that  Jehovah  he  is  God,  it 
is  he  that  hath  made  us,  and  not  we  ourselves ;  we  are 
his  people,  and  the  sheep  of  his  pasture,  EsV.  See  also 
Psalms  ciii.  civ.  cxxxvi.  cxlvi.  cxlviii.  throughout. 
Where,  Jehovah  the  true  God,  is  uniformly  represent- 
ed, as  the  sole  and  sovereign  creator  of  heaven  and 
earth  ;  as  the  Lord  of  lords,  the  God  of  gods,  -whose  mercy 
endureth  for  ever,  who  made  the  sun,  moon  and  stars, 
and  all  the  different  parts  of  nature  in  exquisite  ordery 
harmony  and  beauty;  as  the  guardian  and  protector 
of  his  creatures  in  general,  and  the  guide,  saviour 
and  deliverer  of  his  people  Israel  in  particular  ;  who 
views  those  that  fear  him  with  paternal  pity  and  ten- 
derness, forgives  their  iniquities,  heals  their  diseases, 
and  compassionates  their  infirmities:  and  all  creatures 
without  exception,  rational  and  irrational,  animate 
and  inanimate,  are  called  upon  to  glorify  the  Creator; 
but  particularly  the  human  species  of  whatever  age, 
sex,  rank  or  station,  are  commanded  to  praise  and 
bless  him,  and  give  thanks  to  him,  and  to  him  only, 
their  God,  their  Father,  their  maker,  preserver  and 
benefactor. 

Among  the  Prophets,  Isaiah  gives  many  express  at- 
testations to  the  glorious  truth  we  have  been  incul- 
cating, and  that  in  language  the  most  definite  and  ex- 
press. The  Holy  One  of  Israel  is  a  general  phrase 
which  occurs  in  his  writings  as  denoting  the  Divine 
Being;  very  different  indeed,  from  the  modern  phra- 
seology of  the  Holy  Three,  or  the  blessed  Trinity. 
We  shall  quote  a  few  of  these  passages.  Isa.  xl.  25. 
To  whom  then  will  ye  liken  me,  or  shall  I  be  equal? 
saitb  the  holy  one.  xlii.  5, — 8.  Thus  saith  God  the 
Lord,  he  that  created  the  heavens,  and  stretched  them 
out ;  he  that  spread  forth  the  earth,  and  that  which 
cometh  cut  of  it;  he  that  giveth  breath  unto  the  people 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  27 

upon  it,  and  spirit  to  them  that  walk  therein: — I  am  Je- 
hovah, that  is  my  name,  and  my  glory  will  I  not  give 
to  another,  neither  my  praise  to  graven  images.  The 
same  great  Being  speaking  to  the  Jews  styles  them 
his  witnesses  as  being  the  advocates  for  his  Unity 
among  the  surrounding  idolatrous  nations,  xliii.  10, 
11,12.  Te  are  my  witnesses,  saith  Jehovah,  and  my 
servant  whom  I  have  chosen;  that  ye  may  know  and  be- 
lieve me,  and  understand  that  I  am  he:  before  me  there 
was  no  God  formed,  neither  shall  there  be  after  me.  I, 
even  I  am  Jehovah,  and  besides  me  there  is  no  saviour. 
I  have  declared,  and  have  saved,  and  I  have  shewed, 
when  there  was  no  strange  God  among  you :  therefore  ye 
are  my  witnesses,  saith  Jehovah  that  I  am  God.  xliv. 
6 — 8.  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  the  Kingpf  Israel,  and  his 
redeemer  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  lam  the  first,  and  I  am  the 
last,  and  besides  me  there  is  no  God. — Fear  ye  not,  nei- 
ther be  afraid:  have  I  not  told  thee  from  that  time,  and 
have  declared  it?  Ye  are  even  my  witnesses.  Is  there  a 
God  besides  me/  Tea  there  is  no  God,  I  know  not  any. 
See  farther  Isa.  xlv.  5,  6, — 12, — 18,  &c.  li.  13. 

The  two  following  passages  from  Jeremiah  are 
peculiarly  striking.  Jerem.  ix.  23,  24.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  (or  Jehovah,)  Let  not  the  wise  man  glory  in 
his  wisdom,  neither  let  the  mighty  man  glory  in  his  might, 
let  not  the  rich  man  glory  in  his  riches :  But  let  him  that 
glorieth,  glory  in  this,  that  he  under standeth  andknoweth 
me,  that  I  am  Jehovah:  which  exercise  loving  kind- 
ness, judgment  and  righteousness  in  the  earth:  for  in 
these  things  I  delight,  saith  Jehovah,  xxiii.  23,  24. 
Am  I  a  God  at  hand,  saith  Jehovah,  and  not  a  God  afar 
off?  Can  any  hide  himself  in  secret  places,  that  I  shall 
not  see  him?  saith  Jehovah:  do  not  I  Jill  heaven  and 
earth?  saith  Jehovah.  See  also  Jer.  x.  10, — 12,  &c. 
Ezek.  xiv.  4,  5,  6, — 11.  xx.  19,  20.  Dan.  ix.  4,  &Co 
Hos.  xiii.  4. 


2*8  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

In  some  p^ces  of  the  Old  Testament  we  find  not 
only  the  personal  Unity  and  Supremacy  of  the  Divine 
Being  asserted,  but  the  paternal  character  expressed. 
1  Chron.  xxix.  10.  to  13.  Wherefore  David  blessed 
Jehovah  before  all  the  congregation :  and  David  said, 
Blessed  be  thou,  Jehovah  God  of  Israel  our  father. 
for  ever  and  ever.  Thine,  0  Jehovah,  is  the  greatness, 
and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  and  the  victory,  and  the 
majesty:  for  all  that  is  in  the  heaven  and  in  the  eartb  is 
thine;  thine  is  the  kingdom,  0  Jehovah,  and  thou 
art  exalted  as  head  above  all.  Both  riches  and  honour 
come  of  thee,  and  thou  reignest  over  all,  and  in 
thine  hand  is  power  and  might,  and  in  thine  hand  it 
is  to  make  great,  and  to  give  strength  unto  all.  Now 
therefore,  our  God,  we  thank  thee,  and  praise  thy 
glorious  name.  Isa.  lxiii.  16.  Doubtless  thou  art  our  fa- 
rther, though  Abraham  be  ignorant  of  us,  and  Israel 
acknowledge  us  not:  thou,  0  Jehovah,  art  our  father, 
cur  redeemer,  thy  name  is  from  everlasting*  Jerem.  iii. 

1, — 4. return  again  to   me,  saith  Jehovah. 

Wilt  thou  not  from  this  time  cry  unto  me,  My  father, 
thou  art  the  guide  of  my  youth?  Mai.  ii.  10.  Have  we 
not  all  one  Fatfier?  hath  not  one  God  created  us? 

This  may  suffice  for  quotation  from  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. We  have  now  seen  from  the  testimonies  of 
the  Patriarchs,  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  that  the  Old 
Testament  Saints  who  held  immediate  communica- 
tion with  the  Deity  are  uniform  in  their  attestation  to 
the  infinitude  of  Jehovah;  as  the  sole,  almighty  Cre- 
ator of  heaven  and  of  earth,  of  man  and  all  other 
creatures,  without  the  intervention  of  any  other  cause, 
co-equal,  or  subordinate.  They  also  bear  the  fullest 
and  most  unequivocal  testimony  to  the  single,  indi- 
vidual unity  of  his  person.  For  every  other  pretended 
kind  of  Unity  in  the  Deity  exclusive  of  personal 
Unity,  is  a  fraud,  an  imposture,  a  delusion.    Such  a 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.      29 

mixed,  compounded,  scholastic,  metaphysical  Unity, 
as  Trinitarian  Divines  hold  forth,  never  entered  into 
the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers.  They  were  simple, 
sincere  men,  who  spoke  the  words  of  truth  and  so- 
berness, and  intended  no  subterfuge  or  subtile  con- 
cealment. ^2ould  they  have  foreseen  how  their  words 
would  have  been  squeezed  and  tortured,  it  would 
no  doubt  have  greatly  surprised  them.  But  indeed, 
their  language  is  so  clear  and  well  defined,  that  every 
attempt  to  explain  it  away  must  only  expose  the 
chicanery  of  those  who  do  it. 

Let  it  be  remembered  also,  that  a  great  part  of  the 
passages  we  have  quoted  are  not  merely  the  words  of 
inspired  men,  but  the  language  of  the  Divine  Being 
himself,  who  is  introduced  by  the  prophets  in  a  sub- 
lime manner  setting  forth  his  supremacy  and  de- 
claring his  single  and  unrivalled  Majesty.  Is  there  a 
God  besides  me,  Tea,  there  is  no  God,  I  know  not  any. 
And  when  God  himself  makes  this  declaration,  who 
shall  dare  to  contradict  him?  What  miserable  rub- 
bish are  metaphysical  distinctions,  against  language 
so  determinate  and  precise,  that  no  sophistry  can 
elude  it. 

Having  thus  in  a  brief  and  succinct  manner  given 
some  of  the  principal  proofs  from  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, in  favour  of  the  simple  divine  Unity,  we  shall 
in  a  following  discourse  enter  upon  the  evidences 
arising  from  the  New. 

To  JEHOVAH  the  God  of  the  Universe ;  the  God 
of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  the  God  of  Moses  and 
the  Prophets,  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  be  ascribed  everlasting  glory  and  praise, 
Amen. 


DISSERTATION  111. 

THE  UNITY  OF  GOD  IN  THE  PERSON 
OF  THE  FATHER, 

DEMONSTRATED    FROM  THE 

SCRIPTURES  OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 


1    TIMOTHY  11.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

CHRISTIANITY  having  been  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  Jewish  Revelation  delivered  by 
Moses  and  the  Prophets,  it  must  be  expected  in  every 
essential  tenet  of  Religion  to  harmonize  with  it.  For 
God  cannot  contradict  himself,  or  deliver  opposite 
and  different  theories  concerning  his  nature  at  diffe- 
rent periods.  If  he  revealed  himself  from  Mount 
Sinai  to  the  Jews  as  one  Jehovah,  one  single  agent  or 
divine  person,  who  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea, 
and  all  that  in  them  is;  and  confirmed  the  same  great 
truth  by  a  succession  of  Prophets  during  the  whole 
period  of  the  Jewish  Dispensation,  he  must  continue 
to  do  so  till  the  end  of  time.  For  he  is  the  Father  of 
lights,  with  whom  is  no  variableness,  neither  shadow  of 
turning* 

*  James  i.  17. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.         31 

Accordingly,  when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
great  author  of  the  Gospel  Dispensation,  entered 
upon  his  important  commission  as  a  teacher,  we  do 
not  find,  that  he  proposed  to  make  any  alteration  in 
the  doctrine  that  Moses  and  the  Prophets  had  taught 
respecting  God.  The  main  object  of  his  mission  to 
the  Jews  was  to  call  them  to  repentance,  and  the  be- 
lief  of  his  Gospel;  to  rectify  the  false  glosses  their 
teachers  had  put  upon  the  Law;  and  to  set  the  doc- 
trine of  immortality  by  a  resurrection,  in  a  clear  and 
conspicuous  light. 

We  find  it  recorded,  that  prior  to  his  entering 
upon  his  ministry,  when  he  underwent  a  course  of 
trial  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  tempter  urged  him  to 
worship  him,  he  replied,  Math.  iv.  10.  Get  thee  hence, 
Satan :  for  it  is  written,  Thou  shalt  worship  the  Lord 
thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt  thou  serve.  Here,  our  Lord 
refers  to  two  express  passages  in  the  book  of  Deuter- 
onomy: vi.  13.  Thou  shalt  fear  Jehovah  thy  God,  and 
serve  him,  and  shalt  swear  by  his  name:  and  x.  20. 
Thou  shalt  fear  Jehovah  thy  God ;  him  shalt  thou  serve, 
and  to  him  shalt  thou  cleave,  and  swear  by  his  name. 
By  this  reference,  he  strongly  confirms  what  Moses 
had  formerly  inculcated;  and  directs  us  to  the  great 
object  of  our  adoration,  Jehovah  our  God,  whom  we 
only  are  to  worship  and  serve,  when  these  terms  are 
understood  as  implying  divine  homage. 

In  our  Lord's  celebrated  sermon  on  the  mount  he 
has  these  remarkable  words.  Math.  v.  17,  18,  19. 
Think  not  that  I  am  co?ne  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  pro- 
phets: I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil.  For  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one 
tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  ful- 
filled. Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  these  least 
commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall  be  called 


32  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven:  but  whosoever  shall 
do,  and  teach  them,  the  same  shall  be  called  great  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  In  this  passage,  we  find  our  Lord 
making  a  solemn  assertion,  that  the  object  of  his 
mission  was  not  in  the  least  to  invalidate,  change,  or 
weaken  the  obligation  of  the  moral  law  of  God;  but 
to  confirm  and  strengthen  it  in  every  respect.  That 
heaven  and  earth  should  sooner  be  dissolved,  than 
the  least  particle  of  the  immutable  laws  of  Jehovah 
should  lose  their  binding  force  and  efficacy.  And  that 
whoever  should  presumptuously  dare  to  break  or  in- 
fringe the  smallest,  or  least  considerable,  of  these  im- 
portant precepts,  and  add  to  his  presumption  by 
teaching  or  exhorting  others  to  do  the  like,  should 
be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  or  should 
suffer  not  a  little  in  consequence:  but  that  he  who 
acted  a  contrary  part,  and  not  only  observed  these 
commandments  himself,  but  inculcated  a  strict  regard 
to  them  upon  others,  should  have  an  honourable  ad- 
mittance into  his  kingdom.  Stronger  words  than 
these  can  hardly  be  devised  to  show,  that  all  that  Mo- 
ses and  the  Prophets  taught  with  respect  to  the  nature 
of  God  and  his  true  worship,  as  well  as  the  moral  du- 
ties we  owe  to  one  another,  were  of  indispensable  and 
eternal  obligation. 

And  the  argument  is  capable  of  being  enforced  in 
a  still  stronger  manner  when  it  is  attended  to,  that  if 
even  the  breach  of  one  of  the  smallest  of  these  pre- 
cepts exposes  the  sinner,  or  the  false  teacher,  to  so 
great  danger;  to  how  much  greater  danger  may  it  be 
said  will  a  breach  of  the  greatest  expose  him  to.  If  it 
be  criminal  to  transgress  in  what  may  be  called  com- 
paratively, one  of  the  least  parts  of  the  moral  law  of 
God,  what  aggravation  must  attend  a  deliberate  breach 
of  the  first  and  the  most  important  precept, — the  Unity 
of  the  ever  blessed  Jehovah.    Those  who  disavow  this 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  33 

important  article,  and  in  their  public  lectures  and 
instructions  endeavour  to  darken  it  and  explain  it 
away,  would  do  well  to  consider  the  force  of  what 
our  Lord  says,  and  how  far  they  can  exculpate 
themselves  from  falling  under  his  censure. 

Through  the  whole  of  this  Discourse  of  our  Lord, 
we  find  him  continually  referring  his  disciples  to  their 
Father,  as  the  great  being  whose  favour  they  were  to 
study  to  cultivate  by  worthy  actions,  and  to  whose 
approbation  they  were  ever  to  have  a  sacred  and 
supreme  regard.  Math.  v.  45.  That  ye  may  be 
the  children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Again, 
verse  48.  Be  ye  therefore' perfect,  even  as  your  Fa- 
ther which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect. 

This  is  particularly  observable  in  his  directions 
concerning  prayer  and  fasting.  Math.  vi.  6.  But 
thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when 
thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in 
secret,  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in  secret,  shall 
reward  thee  openly.  Verse  9.  After  this  manner,, 
therefore,  pray  ye  :  Our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven, 
&c.  Again,  with  respect  to  fasting,  he  recommends 
the  utmost  secrecy,  and  adds,  Verse  18.  That 
thou  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  wito  thy  Father 
which  is  in  secret  :  and  thy  Father,  which  seeth  in 
secret,  shall  reward  thee  openly.  With  respect  to  these 
two  quotations  I  have  to  observe,  that  our  heavenly 
Father  is  the  only  being,  we  are  commanded  by  our 
Lord  to  have  in  view  when  we  set  about  the  duties  of 
prayer  and  fasting ;  he  mentions  no  divine  agent  or 
person  but  one,  which  very  plainly  discovers  to  us, 
that  he  knew  of  no  other.  In  the  model  he  gives  us 
concerning  prayer,  we  are  commanded  to  direct  our 
prayers  to  the  Father,  without  the  least  intimation 
of  any  other  divine  person  or  agent  capable  of 
hearing  them  or  receiving  them.     Were  not  men 

F 


34  THE  UNITY  OP   GOD 

wonderfully  blinded  by  prejudice,  or  false  notions 
of  religion  early  imbibed  and  carefully  instilled  into 
them,  it  would  be  impossible  to  resist  the  evidence 
arising  from  this  argument.  Were  there  more 
divine  beings  or  persons  than  one,  it  would  be  our 
duty  to  pray  to  them  as  well  as  the  Father,  and  to 
perform  other  religious  duties  with  a  view  to  their 
approbation.  But  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  knew  of 
no  other  God  besides  the  Father,  and  therefore  he 
neither  prayed  himself,  nor  commanded  his  disciples 
to  pray  to  any  other,  but  to  him  alone.  In  every 
part  of  our  Lord's  discourse  on  the  mount,  we  find 
the  word  God,  and  that  of  Father,  used  as  terms  of  the 
same  import  and  mutually  implying  each  other; 
which  of  itself  amounts  to  a  proof  that  our  position 
is  well  founded.  But  we  proceed  to  consider  other 
passages. 

In  Luke  x.  21.  we  have  the  following  words  :  In 
that  hour  Jesus  rejoiced  in  spirit,  and  said,  I  thank 
thee,  0  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast 
hid  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes :  even  so,  Father,  for  so  it 
seemed  good  in  thy  sight.  This  is  an  address  of  our 
Lord  to  the  Father,  in  which  he  acquiesces  in  his 
providential  dispensations,  and  particularly  in  the 
wisdom  of  his  counsels,  whereby  the  plainest  and 
most  evident  truths  are  sometimes  overlooked  or 
disregarded  by  those  who  in  the  world's  judgment 
are  called  wise  and  prudent,  while  the  evidence  of 
them  appears  plain  to  men  of  simple  apprehension, 
whose  minds  are  open  to  the  evidence  oP  truth,  and 
their  hearts  willing  to  receive  it.  The  Father  is  here 
styled  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  a  grand  and  sublime 
epithet,  marking  his  sole  and  single  supremacy  and  the 
absolute  subjection  of  every  other  being  to  him. 
Such  a  mode  of  address  could  never  have  been  used 


IN  THE   PERSON  OF   THE  FATHER,  &C.  35 

by  our  Lord  to  the  Father,  if  himself  or  any  other 
being  or  agent  had  been  co-equal  to  him,  or  a  sharer 
in  his  single,  self-existent,  and  undivided  Deity. 

Mark  xii.  28,  to  34.  And  one  of  the  scribes  came, 
&c.  and  asked  him,  Which  is  the  first  commandment  of 
all  I  And  J-esus  answered  him,  The  first  of  all  the 
commandments  is,  Hear,  0  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God 
is  one  Lord;  And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy 
■mind,  and  with  all  thy  strength  :  this  is  the  first  com- 
mandment.  And  the  second  is  like  unto  it,  namely  this, 
Thou  shalt  love,  thy  neighbour  asthyself:  there  is  noneother 
commandment  greater  than  these.  And  the  scribe  said 
unto  him,  Well,  Master,  thou  hast  said  the  truth  :  for 
there  is  one  god,  and  there  is  none  other  but  he.  And 
to  love  him  with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the 
understanding,  and  with  all  the  soul,  and  with  all  the 
strength,  and  to  love  his  neighbour  as  himself,  is  more 
than  all  whole  burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices.  And 
when  Jesus  saw  that  he  answered  discreetly,  he  said 
unto  him,  Thou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 

We  have  here  the  full  and  explicit  attestation  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  the  doctrine  of  Moses  concerning 
one  God.  A  scribe,  or  lawyer,  as  he  is  called  in  the 
parallel  place  in  Matthew's  gospel,  xxii.  35.  comes 
to  our  Lord  and  asks  him,  which  is  the  first,  or  the 
most  important  commandment  of  all  ?  Our  Lord 
immediately  refers  to  what  Moses  had  delivered  to 
the  Jews,  in  Deuteronomy  vi.  4,  5.  when  he  calls  upon 
them  to  listen  and  to  give  the  utmost  attention  to  the 
declaration,  that  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord,  and 
to  love  him  as  such,  with  supreme  and  sovereign 
affection,  exciting  in  this  duty  the  utmost  stretch 
and  vigour  of  their  faculties.  In  reply  to  this,  the 
scribe  approves  of  what  our  Lord  had  said,  as  agree- 
able to  truth;  for,  adds  he,  There  is  one  God,  and  there 


J$6  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

is  none  other  but  he,  &c.  To  which  in  return  our 
Lord  says,  Jhou  art  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God. 
Nothing  can  be  clearer  from  the  whole  of  this  con- 
ference between  our  Lord  and  the  Scribe,  than  that 
the  Jews  were  right,  with  respect  to  the  doctrine 
they  held  concerning  the  Unity  of  God.  Both 
understood  Moses  in  the  same  sense,  as  intending  to 
inculcate  the  notion  of  one  divine  agent  or  person  in 
opposition  to  move  such  persons.  In  consequence  of 
the  Scribe  agreeing  with  our  Lord  in  this  important 
particular,  and  being  otherwise  a  man  of  fairness  and 
candour,  Jesus  declares  that  he  was  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God.  He  wanted  nothing  more  to  be  a 
disciple  of  our  Lord,  than  to  acquiesce  in  him  and 
receive  him  as  the  promised  Messiah.  But  on  the 
supposition  of  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity, 
it  would  not  have  been  true,  that  by  making  the 
declaration,  that  there  is  one  God,  and  none  other  but  he, 
that  he  made  a  near  approach  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 
On  the  contrary,  supposing  the  truth  of  that  doctrine, 
he  would  have  been  going  farther "  from  it,  and  it 
would  have  been  necessary 'in  our  Lord  to  have 
informed  him,  that  the  doctrine  of  Moses  stood  in 
need  of  explanation  and  improvement,  and  that  there 
were  three  different  persons  or  agents  to  whom  the 
title  of  God  properly  belonged.  But  where  do  we 
find  our  Lord  giving  the  least  hint  of  a  notion  of  this 
kind  ?  Much  as  he  censures  the  Jews,  for  their 
idle,  mischievous  traditions,  and  false  explications 
of  some  of  the  moral  precepts  of  the  law,  in  making- 
justice,  mercy,  and  truth  give  way  to  ceremonial 
institutions,  he  never  charges  them  with  mistaking 
or  corrupting  the  doctrine  ot  Mosjs,  with  respect  to 
the  divine  Unity.  This  is  an  invincible  and  unde- 
niable proof,  that  the  doctrine  of  Moses,  the  J  wish 
Legislator,  and  of  Jesus,  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C  37 

of  our  Profession,  f  were  one  and  the  same.  Both 
were  equally  Unitarians,  and  devout  believers  in,  and 
worshippers  of,  the  one  only  living  and  true  God. 

Farther,  the  personal  unity  of  the  Divine  being,  is 
implied  or  necessarily  supposed,  in  the  precept  that 
follows  the  solemn  declaration,  that  the  Lord  our 
God  is  one  Lord.  For  how  is  it  possible  to  love  the 
Lord  our  God  with  all  our  heart,  mind,  soul,  and 
strength,  if  he  is  supposed  to  be  more  than  one  single 
agent  or  person.  We  cannot  divide  and  sub-divide 
our  minds,  and  give  part  to  one,  and  part  to  another. 
This  may  be  done  indeed  in  regard  to  inferior  objects 
of  esteem  and  love :  but  in  a  case  like  the  present, 
where  our  highest  affections  are  interested,  and  that 
requires  the  utmost  stretch  and  exertion  of  our  facul- 
ties, it  is  impossible  to  be  performed.  We  must  have 
one  great,  single  object,  separate  and  apart  from  all 
others,  upon  which  to  centre  our  supreme  love.  Thus, 
among  many  other  bad  consequences  attending  the 
belief  of  this  erroneous  doctrine  of  a  Trinity  of  divine 
persons,  this  is  none  of  the  least,  that  it  renders  the 
first  and  great  commandment — an  impossibility. 

In  vari<  us  places  of  the  Gospels,  the  doctrine  of  the 
simple  divine  unity  is  fully  proved  and  established  by 
the  express  declarations  of  our  Lord.  Thus,  Math.  xix. 
16,  17.  And  behold,  one  came  and  said  unto  him, 
Good  Master,  what  good  thing  shall  I  do  that  I  may  have 
eternal  life?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Why  callest  thou 
me  good?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God.  This 
passage  furnishes  a  strong  proof  of  the  great  point 
we  have  been  establishing.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
though  better  entitledtothe  appellation  of  Good  Master 
than  any  who  ever  appeared  in  human  nature,  refuses 
this  title  when  offered  him,  and  refers  it  to  God  as 
the  only  source  of  pure,  unmixed,  and  perfect  good- 
ness.    And  by  limiting  the  glory  of  this  attribute  to 

Hcb  iii.  l.  2 


38  THE  UNITY  OF  GOD 

one  particular  person  or  agent,  he  has  shown  as 
clearly  as  words  are  capable  of  doing  it,  that  it  can- 
not belong  to  two  or  three.  If  there  were  more 
divine  persons  than  one,  they  must  be  all  equally 
sharers  in  the  divine  attributes,  and  consequently 
possessed  of  supreme  goodness,  and  then  it  would 
not  be  true  that  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God. 
The  Greek  words  imply  still  more  than  is  expressed 
in  our  version,  and  may  be  rendered,  There  is  none  good 
but  one  person,  that  is  God.  And  this  one  person  can 
be  no  other  than  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

John  viii.  54.  Jesus  answered,  If  I  honour  myself , 
my  honour  is  nothing,  it  is  my  Father  that  honoureth 
me  ;  of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your  God.  A  strong 
passage,  that  carries  conviction  along  with  it,  proving 
equally  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  derives  all  his 
credit  and  authority  from  the  testimony  that  God 
his  Father  bore  in  favour  of  him,  and  that  the  Father 
only  was  the  person  whom  the  Jews  acknowledged 
and  honoured  as  their  God. 

There  is  a  remarkable  passage  in  John's  gospel, 
which  may  be  very  properly  alledged  here.  When 
our  Lord  entered  into  a  conference  with  a  woman 
of  Samaria,  she  inquired  of  him  whether  Jerusalem 
or  Mount  Gerizim  was  the  most  proper  place  for 
worshipping  God,  in  answer  to  which  query,  he 
replies,  John  iv.  21  to  24.  Woman,  believe  me,  the 
hour  cometh,  when  ye  shall  neither  in  this  ?nountain,  nor 
yet  at  Jerusalem  worship  the  Father.  Te  worship  ye 
know  not  what :  we  know  what  we  worship  :  For 
salvation  is  of  the  Jews.  But  the  hour  cometh,  and 
now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the 
Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth  :  for  the  Father  seeketh 
such  to  ^worship  him.  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that 
zvorship  him,  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.         39 

From  this  passage  we  learn,  that  the  Father  only 
was  worshipped  both  by  Jews  and  Samaritans.  The 
devout  Jews  of  every  sort  and  description  had  no 
conception  of  any  other  divine  agent  or  being  besides 
him.  A  controversy  subsisted  between  the  Jews  and 
Samaritans  with  respect  to  the  place  of  worship,  but 
none  at  all  with  regard  to  the  object.  But  farther, 
what  is  still  of  more  importance,  it  appears  clear 
and  undeniable  from  this  passage,  that  the  true  wor- 
shippers were  in  every  place,  under  the  new,  or  gospel 
dispensation,  to  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,  without  the  least  hint  or  indication  that  any 
other  being  or  agent  was  to  be  joined  with  him  in 
such  acts;  and  our  Lord  by  adding,  God  is  a  Spirit,  &c. 
evidently  shows,  that  he  understood  the  words,  God 
and  Father,  as  signifying  the  same  great  being, 
exclusively  of  any  person  else.  It  is  farther  observ- 
able, that  those  who  worship  the  Father  are  styled 
the  true  worshippers,  or  those  who  worship  acceptably 
according  to  the  divine  command  and  scripture  pre- 
cedent ;  and  if  so,  what  kind  of  worshippers  must 
those  be,  who,  besides  him,  pay  supreme  adoration 
and  homage  to  two  other  beings  or  agents. 

John  xvii.  3.  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  thou  hast  sent.  Here  are  words  as  strong,  clear, 
and  precise,  with  respect  to  the  subject  we  have  in 
hand  as  can  be  expected  or  desired.  They  are  part 
of  a  prayer  addressed  by  our  Lord  with  great  fervour 
to  his  heavenly  Father,  before  the  scene  of  his  suffer- 
ings commenced.  And  in  this  prayer  he  styles  his 
Father,  the  only  true  God,  and  distinguishes  himself 
from  him  as  one  that  he  hath  sent,  or  his  embassador, 
and  declares  that  life  eternal  consists  in  the  appre- 
hension or  knowledge  of  these  two  important  articles, 
which  may  be  styled  the  pillar  or  ground  of  our  re- 


40  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

Hgion.  Observe,  the  force  of  the  words  used  by  our 
Lord ;  he  does  not  only  call  his  Father  God,  but  the 
true  God,  yea  the  only  true  God,  as  distinguished  from 
himself,  and  all  other  beings,  whatever.  And  if  the 
Father  is  the  only  true  God,  can  there  be  a  true  God 
besides  him  ?  Is  the  belief  of  a  God  the  Son,  or  a  God 
the  Holy  Ghost,  consistent  with  our  Lord's  asser- 
tion that  the  Father  is  the  only  true  God?  If  such  in- 
consistencies as  these  can  be  affirmed,  language  must 
lose  all  its  effect,  and  words  be  quite  insufficient  for 
explaining  our  ideas.  The  force  of  this  passage  was 
so  great,  that  Mr.  El-wall  declares  in  the  postscript  to 
his  Trial,  that  it  made  him  a  convert  to  Unitarian 
principles.  We  have  now  alledged  ail  we  propose  to 
urge  immadiately  from  the  Gospels  in  favour  of  the 
simple  divine  Unity.  Several  passages  we  have  pur- 
posely omitted,  as  they  will  be  more  properly  intro- 
duced afterwards,  when  we  come  to  treat  of  the  true 
nature  and  character  of  our  Lord. 

We  proceed  to  state  the  sentiments  of  the  Apostles 
with  respect  to  the  Unity  of  the  divine  nature.  Acts 
iii.  1 3.  Peter  in  company  with  John  having  performed 
a  remarkable  miracle  in  curing  a  man,  who  had  been 
lame  from  his  birth,  ascribes  the  glory  of  it  to  God 
in  the  following  words,  The  God  of  Abraham,  and  of 
Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  the  God  of  our  fathers  hath  glorified 
his  Son  Jesus  ;  &c.  Observe  here,  that  the  Jehovah  of 
the  Jews,  who  appeared  to  the  Patriarchs,  is  the  God 
and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  We  find  the 
same  Apostles  with  all  the  rest,  joining  in  a  prayer  to 
God  in  Acts  iv.  24,  &c.  And  when  they  heard  that,  they 
lift  up  their  voice  to  God,  with  one  accord,  and  said, 
Lord,  or  as  it  may  be  more  properly  rendered,  Sove- 
reign Lord,  thou  art  God  which  hast  made  heaven  and 
earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is:  &c.  That  this 
prayer  is  addressed  to  the  Father  is  evident  not  only 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE   FATHER,  &C.  41 

from  what  we  have  quoted  above,  but  from  what 
follows  after  in  the  30th  verse,  when  it  is  added,  By 
stretching  forth  thine  hand  to  heal :  and  that  signs  and 
wonders  may  be  done  by  the  name  of  thy  holy  child,  or 
servant,  Jesus.  Now  this  prayer  appears  from  the 
circumstances  of  the  chapter  to  have  been  offered 
up  by  all  the  Apostles,  and  therefore  is  of  great 
weight  and  efficacy ;  as  a  proof  that  they  all  consi- 
dered the  Divine  Being  as  a  single  person  or  agent, 
and  he  only  the  Father  of  Jesus. 

Another  argument  which  carries  invincible  force 
in  it  may  be  grounded  upon  the  apostolical  benedic- 
tions and  salutations.  Thus,  Rom.  i.  7.  Grace  to 
you,  and  peace  from  God  our  Father,  and  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  2  Cor.  i.  2,  3.  Grace  be  to  you,  and 
peace  from  God  our  Father,  and  from  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Blessed  be  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of 
all  comfort.  And  so  through  all  the  Epistles.  Now, 
any  unprejudiced  reader,  who  wishes  to  draw  his 
notions  and  apprehensions  of  divine  things  from  the 
sentiments  of  the  sacred  writers,  must  be  immediate- 
ly struck,  when  he  reads  these  and  similar  passages, 
with  the  difference  between  the  style  of  the  apostles, 
and  that  of  modern  divines,  called  orthodox.  The 
latter,  talk  of  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son  and 
God  the  Holy  Ghost ;  but  the  inspired  writers  speak 
only  of  God  our  Father,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Such  an  amazing  difference  in  language  can  only 
arise  from  a  difference  in  meaning  and  sentiment. 
The  sacred  writers  knew  of  no  God  besides  the  Fa- 
ther, and  therefore  they  give  the  title  to  no  other. 
They  style  Jesus  Christ,  Lord,  because  the  Father 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  made  him  both  Lord 

G 


12  THE    UNITY    OF    GOD 

and  Christ  ;\  and  in  this  sense  only  we  are  warrant- 
ed to  understand  this  title  in  all  places  where  it  is 
applied  to  him.    - 

We  shall  now  conclude  this  part  of  our  general 
subject  by  reciting  three  distinguished  passages  from 
the  writings  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  with  a  few  brief 
remarks  upon  them. 

1  Cor.  viii.  4,  5,  6.  We  know  that  an  idol  is  no- 
thing in  the  world,  and  that  there  is  none  other  God 
but  one.  For  though  there  be  that  are  called  gods,  whether 
in  heaven  or  in  earth,  (as  there  be  gods  many  and  lords 
many : )  But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God,  THE  FA- 
THER, of  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and 
one  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and 
we  by  him. 

Eph.  iv.  4,  5,  6.  There  is  one  body,  and  one  spi- 
rit, even  as  ye  are  called  in .  one  hope  of  your  calling  ; 
one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism,  ONE  GOD  AND 
FATHER  OF  ALL,  who  is  above  all,  and  through 
all,  and  in  you  all. 

1  Cor.  xv.  24, — 28.  Then  cometh  the  end,  when  he 
shall  have  delivered  up  the  kingdom  to  GOD,  EVEN 
THE  FATHER  ;  when  he  shall  have  put  down  all 
rule,  and  all  authority,  and  power. — And  when  all 
things  shall  be  subdued  unto  him,  then  shall  the  Son  al- 
so himself  be  subject  unto  him  that  put  all  things  under 
him,  that  GOD  may  be  all  in  all. 

Now,  I  will  venture  to  affirm,  that  to  a  mind  open 
to  conviction  and  susceptible  of  the  impressions  of 
plain  and  distinct  language,  these  three  passages  will 
speak  for  themselves,  will  speak  irresistibly,  without 
the  aid  of  a  commentator  or  interpreter.  The  first 
is  expressed  with  all  the  clearness  of  a  proposition  ; 
it  is  affirmed,  that  there  is  none  other  God  but  one, 
and  then  after  mentioning  gods  many  and  lords  many, 
to  whom  these  titles  have  been  improperly  applied. 

f  Acts  ii.  32,  36.    Gal.  i.  1. 


IN  THE  PERSON  OF  THE  FATHER,  &C.  43 

we  are  told  that  to  us  believing  Christians,  There  is 
but  one  God,  the  Father,  &c.  In  the  second,  after 
mentioning,  one  body,  one  spirit,  one  Lord,  &c.  fol- 
lows, one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all, 
and  through  all,  and  in  you  all ;  and  in  the  last  pas- 
sage we  are  told  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  after 
having  accomplished  the  purposes  for  which  his  me- 
diatorial kingdom  was  erected,  shall  resign  all  his 
power  into  the  hands  of  the  Father  from  whom  he 
received  it,  that  God,  or  the  Father,  may  be  all  in  all. 
From  these  passages  in  connection  with  all  the 
other  proofs  we  have  brought  from  the  Old  and  New 
Testament,  I  apprehend,  that  the  truth  of  our  first 
and  second  positions  are  sufficiently  established, — 
that  by  the  words  one  God,  in  our  text,  are  meant, 
one  single  individual  being,  agent  or  person,  viz. 
THE  FATHER,  in  opposition  to  more  such  indivi- 
dual beings,  agents  or  persons;  and  that  this  sense 
of  the  woids  one  God,  is  sanctioned  and  confirmed 
by  the  concurrent  testimony  of  divine   Revelation. 

To  this  One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above 
all,  through  all,  and  in  us  all,  be  ascribed  all  glory 
and  praise,  in  Christ,  for  ever.     Amen. 


DISSERTATION  IV. 

A  REPLY 

TO  SUPPOSED  OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE. 

1  TIMOTHY  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

AGREEABLY  to  the  plan  we  laid  down,  we 
come  now  to  reply  to  such  mistaken  or  ill  interpre- 
ted passages  of  scripture,  as  have  been  supposed  to 
inculcate  the  doctrine  of  a  Trinity  in  general,  or  to 
establish  the  Divinity  of  the  Son  and  the  Personality 
of  the  holy  Spirit  in  particular. 

And  here  it  is  obvious  to  remark,  that  sacred 
scripture  properly  compared  and  interpreted  cannot 
contradict  itself.  The  Revelations  contained  in  the 
Old  and  New  Testament,  coming  from  the  source 
of  all  wisdom  and  truth,  must  be  uniform  in  their 
testimony  respecting  the  great  Being  from  whom 
they  proceed.  Whatever  difference  of  opinion  takes 
place  therefore  amongst  the  professed  believers  of  such 
a  Revelation  must  originate  in  mistake,  or  not  right- 
ly apprehending  the  true  sense  of  the  language  in 
which  the  Revelation  is  conveyed.     One  of  the  par- 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  45 

ties  therefore  must  be  radically  and  fundamentally 
wrong,  and  this  I  apprehend  to  be  the  case  with  re- 
specr'to  the  advocates  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity; 
and  it  shall  be  the  object  of  this  discourse  to  show 
that  it  is  so. 

It  is  incumbent  upon  the  advocates  for  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity,  if  they   would  produce  a  solid 
argument  in  favour  of  their  opinion  to  point  out  to 
us  some  express  testimonies  of  Scripture  in  which 
this   doctrine  is    clearly    declared.     But    unhappily 
for  them  no  such  passages  occur  in  the  whole  com- 
pass of  the  Old  and  New  Testament.     I  would  re- 
quest any  who  hold  this  opinion  to  refer  me  to  a  sin- 
gle place  of  Scripture  in  which  it  is  affirmed,  that 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy   Spirit  are  three  divine 
persons  forming  one  Godhead.     We  may  peruse  the 
Bible  from  Genesis  to  the  Revelation,  but  we  shall 
find  no  declaration  of  this  kind.     Often  are  we  to  id 
that  there  is  one  God,  and  that  the  Father  is  that  One 
God,  as  we  have  already  fully  shown  ;  but  we  find 
no  evidence  in  favour  of  a  plurality  of  divine   per- 
sons.    Now  if  our  opponents   would  be  candid  and 
Weigh  things  fairly,  as  they  really  are,  the  deficien- 
cy of  evidence,  in  this  respect,  might  be  expected 
to  make  a  favourable  impression  upon   their  minds. 
It  is  surely  an  unanswerable  objection  against  any 
opinion,    or  tenet,  whatever,    when  the  arguments 
against  it  are  clear,  numerous  and  express,  and  no 
explicit  testimony  can  be  brought  in  favour  of  it. 

Bat  here  some  may  think,  that  I  am  going  too 
fast,  and  may  wish  me  to  take  notice  of  a  passage  in 
John's  1st  Epistle,  i.  7,  where  it  is  affirmed,  "For 
"  there  are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the  Fa- 
"  ther,  the  Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost :  and  these 
"  three  are  one." 

But  even  this  proof,  though  it  were  genuine, 
would  be  incomplete :  for  observe,  that  this  passage 


46  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

does  not  affirm,  that  these  three  are  one  God,  but  on- 
ly that  they  are  one;  and  this  oneness  may  refer  to  a  U- 
nity  of  testimony,  and  not  to  a  Unity  or  sameness 
of  nature.  Bat  it  is  well  known  to  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  sacred  criticism,  that  this  passage  is 
spurious,  and  forms  no  genuine  part  of  John's  Epis- 
tle ;  but  has  been  either  wilfully  or  ignorantly  in- 
serted in  it.  It  is  wanting  in  all  the  Greek  manu- 
scripts, excepting  two  modern  ones,  which  are  of 
no  authority.  It  is  not  quoted  by  any  of  the  Greek 
Fathers,  in  any  of  their  genuine  writings,  though 
some  of  them  quote  the  verses  immediately  before 
and  after.  None  of  the  Latin  Fathers  refer  to  this 
passage  for  several  centuries  after  Christ.  Tertullian 
and  Cyprian  have  been  said  to  do  so ;  but  upon  an 
accurate  examination  of  their  writings,  the  assertion 
is  found  to  be  a  mistake.  During  the  time  of  the 
Arian  controversy,  when  the  whole  bible  was  ran- 
sacked for  proofs  of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  this  pas- 
sage was  never  alledged  by  the  advocates  for  the  Ni- 
cene  faith,  which  is  an  ample  proof,  that  even  in  the 
fourth  century  it  hall  not  yet  found  its  way  into  the 
bible.  These  words  are  also  wanting  in  all  the  ori- 
ental versions  of  the  New  Testament,  and  though 
many  copies  of  the  Latin  Vulgate  have  them,  yet 
they  are  wanting  in  several  manuscripts  of  that  ver- 
sion. All  this  amounts  to  a  full  and  satisfactory 
proof,  that  this  passage  is  an  interpolation,  and  a  vi- 
olation of  the  purity  of  the  sacred  writings.  What 
a  pity  is  it,  that  such  a  text  should  remain  in  our 
bibles,  and  prove  a  stumbling-block  to  those  who 
are  not  properly  informed. 

It  has  been  asserted,  that  the  sense  of  the  context 
is  disturbed  by  leaving  out  this  passage.  But  the 
contrary  is  evident;  for  the  interpolation  occasions 
a  confusion  in  the  Apostle's  discourse,  which  is  ren- 
dered quite  clear  when  it  is  removed,  and  runs  as 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  47 

follows  in  the  best  Greek  Manuscripts.  1  John  v.  6, 
&c.  This  is  he  that  came  by  water  and  blood,  even 
Jesus  Christ  ;  not  by  water  only,  but  by  water  and 
blood.  And  it  is  the  spirit  that  beareth  witness,  be- 
cause the  spirit  is  truth.  For  there  are  three  that  bear 
witness,  the  spirit,  and  the  water,  and  the  blood : 
and  these  three  agree  in  one  ;  that  is,  one  testimony, 
that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  or  the  Christ.  Here, 
we  find  the  true  order  of  the  passage  restored,  and 
the  sense  quite  regular  and  distinct.  The  water  re- 
fers  to  the  testimony  that  Jesus  received  at  his  bap- 
tism, *  the  blood  to  his  dearh  and  consequent  resur- 
rection, and  the  spirit  to  the  miracles  performed  by 
our  Lord  and  his  Apostles,  by  all  of  which  he  was 
proved  to  be  the  true  Messiah. 

Another  passage  that  has  been  frequently  alledged 
in  favour  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  the  words 
of  our  Lord  addressed  to  his  disciples  and  recorded 
in  Matthew's  Gospel,  xxviii.  19.  Go  ye  therefore  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Fa- 
ther, and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  holy  Ghost.  This 
passage,  however,  will  not  answer  the  end  for  which 
it  is  urged.  Or  rather,  if  we  consider  the  verse  that 
goes  immediately  before,  it  will  be  found  to  prove  the 
direct  contrary.  Ver.  1 8.  And  Jesus  came,  and  spake 
unto  them,  saying,  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  carih.  Go  ye  therefore,  &c.  Now,  when  our 
Lord  says,  that  all  power  was  given  him,  it  necessa- 
rily implies  that  he  received  this  power  from  another 
and  from  whom  did  he  receive  it,  but  from  his  God 
and  Father  ;  who  exalted  him  after  his  resurrection 
and  ascension,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand  in 
the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality,  and  pow- 
er, &c.f  But  can  the  receiver  be  compared  with  the 
giver  or  can  God  be  said  to  receive  any  thing.  Who 
hath  first  given  to  him,  (says  Paul,  Rom.  xi.  3S;  36.) 

*  Math.  ili.  16,  17.    f  Eph.  i.  20,  21. 


48  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

and  it  shall  be  recompensed  unto  him  again  ?  The  Di- 
vine Being  gives  to  all,  but  he  receives  from  none, 
and  as  Christ  received  all  his  power  and  authority 
from  the  Father,  this  discovers  in  the  strongest  man- 
ner, his  dependence  and  subordination.  With  re- 
spect to  the  holy  Ghost,  here  mentioned,  it  is  abun- 
dantly clear  from  other  passages  of  scripture,  that 
the  divine  power  is  meant  by  which  the  Gospel  was 
propagated  and  supported.  So  that  the  true  sense 
of  the  passage  will  be  this,  Go  and  teach,  or  make 
disciples  of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  into  the  be- 
lief and  profession  of  that  religion,  which  the  God 
and  Father  of  all  authorized  his  son  Jesus  to  teach, 
and  which  was  confirmed  by  the  miraculous  opera- 
tions of  the  holy  Spirit,  or  the  divine  power.  Here, 
we  have  a  plain,  sensible  exposition,  perfectly  agree- 
ing with  the  context,  and  harmonizing  with  the 
scripture  doctrine  in  general.  And  in  fact  it  appears, 
that  the  Apostles  understood  this  place  rather  as  a  sum- 
mary of  christian  doctrine  than  an  exact  form,  that  was 
to  be  used  on  all  occasions:  for  we  never  find  ,1  sin- 
gle instance  in  the  New  Testament  of  this  form  being 
repeated  when  any  person  was  baptized,  but  we  find 
them  simply  baptizing  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
as  appears  from  several  places  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.* 

]  Cor.  xii.  4,  5,  6.  Now  there  are  diversities  of 
gifts,  but  the  same  Spirit.  And  there  are  differences 
of  administrations,  but  the  same  Lord.  And  there  are 
diversities  of  operations,  but  it  is  the  same  God,  which 
worketh  all  in  all.  This  text  appears  to  be  very  im- 
properly applied  for  a  proof  of  a  Trinity  in  Unity. 
We  find  only  one  person  here  distinguished  by  the 
title  of  God,  and  that  can  be  no  other  than  the  Fa- 
ther, as  the  Spirit,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  are  mention- 

*  See  Acts  ii.  38.    viii.  16.  x.  48.     six.  5.     See  also,  Rom.  vi.  3 
Gal    iii.  27. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  49 

0m 

ed  before.  The  plain  meaning  meaning  of  it  is, 
that  though  in  the  primitive  times  there  was  a  differ- 
ence in  the  gifts  conferred  on  christians,  some  having 
higher  and  others  inferior  qualifications,  yet  they 
were  all  operated  by  the  same  Spirit,  or  divine  pow- 
er and  energy.  And  though  there  were  different 
services  or  offices  in  the  christian  church,  yet  one 
Lord,  or  master,  viz.  Christ,  the  head  of  his  church, 
presided  over  all.  And  though  there  were  different 
operations,  yet  all  these  proceeded  from  the  same 
GOD  who  worketh  all  in  all,  or  bringeth  about 
every  thing  according  to  his  sovereign  pleasure. 

2  Cor.  xiii.  14. — The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  and  the  Communion  of 
the  holy  Ghost,  be  with  you  all.  Amen.  I  barely 
mention  this  passage,  because  it  has  been  weakly 
urged  by  some,  as  a  proof  of  the  doctrine  we  are 
confuting.  But  in  truth  it  is  rather  an  argument  in 
favour  of  Unitarianism.  For  the  title  of  God  is  here 
appropriated  to  the  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  distinguished  from  him.  The  Communion 
of  the  holy  Ghost,  denotes  the  participation  of  spi- 
ritual gifts  and  gratifications. 

These  are  the  chief  passages  that  have  been  urg- 
ed to  prove  the  doctrine  of  a  Trinity  in  Unity  in 
general ;  the  weakness  and  insufficiency  of  which,  I 
think,  are  abundantly  apparent.  The  first  is  an  in- 
terpolation, and  the  other  three  are  nothing  to  the 
purpose;  but  rather  make  against  the  cause  they 
are  employed  to  defend. 

We  shall  next  take  under  consideration  those 
texts  that  have  been  separately  urged  to  prove  the 
Divinity  of  the  Son  and  the  Personality  of  the  holy 
Spirit.  And  first  with  respect  to  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  it  has  been  alledged,  that  he  is  styled  God  in 
several  places  of  Scripture.  We  shall  take  a  review 
of  these  places,  and  offer  our  remarks  upon  them. 
H 


50  A   REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

Isaiah  ix.  6. — For  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a 
son  is  given ;  and  the  government  shall  be  upon  his 
shoulder:  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
Couns eller,  the  mighty  God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the 
prince  of  peace.  It  is  not  absolutely  certain  that  the 
word  God  should  be  read  in  this  passage,  as  it  is 
wanting  in  the  Alexandrian  and  Vatican  copies  of 
the  Septuagint.  But  admitting  it  were  so,  it  would 
prove  nothing  in  the  connection  in  which  it  stands  ; 
and  the  words  may  be  properly  rendered  a  mighty 
God,  that  is,  a  mighty  ruler  or  potentate,  who  was 
to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  upon  his  king- 
dom, &c.  (ver.  17.)  and  referring  to  the  dignity  and 
authority  of  our  Lord,  as  the  anointed  of  God, 
King  of  the  Jews,  Head  of  the  church,  and  Judge 
of  mankind.  The  words  "  everlasting  Father,"  are 
a  false  translation;  for  they  should  be  rendered  the 
Father  of  the  age  to  come,  or  the  everlasting  age,  that 
is,  the  author  of  the  Gospel  dispensation.  And  all 
this  is  rendered  clear,  and  certain,  by  the  words  that 
follow  in  the  7th  verse,  the  zeal  of  the  Lord  of  hosts 
will  perform  this.  It  is  Jehovah,  or  the  Lord  of 
hosts,  that  is  to  make  this  child,  or  son,  whatever  he 
is, — to  constitute  him,  a  mighty  rider  or  potentate,  to 
make  him  the  Father  of  the  age  to  come,  and  in  short 
to  confer  upon  him  every  dignity  and  qualification 
he  possesses. 

The  following  words  in  Luke's  Gospel  seem  to 
throw  light  on  this  prophecy,  and  may,  very  proba- 
bly, be  an  allusion  to  it.  Luke  i.  32,  33. — Fie  (Je- 
sus) shall  be  great  and  shall  be  called  the  son  of  the 
Highest ;  and  the  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  him  the 
throne  of  his  Father  David.  And  he  shall  reign  over 
the  house  of  Jacob  for  ever  ;  and  of  his  kingdom  their 
shall  be  no  end. 

John  i.  1 . — The  Word  was  God.  If  a  person  were 
here  meant,  the  word  God,  must  necessarily  be  un- 
derstood in  an  inferior  sense,  as  in  the  clause  that 


OBJECTIONS  FR.OM  SCRIPTURE.  31 

goes  before,  he  is  said  to  be  with  God,  but  I  appre- 
hend, that  the  Logos,  does  not  signify  a  person  at 
all,  but  the  divine  reason  or  wisdom,  which  was 
communicated  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I,  how- 
ever, do  not  propose  to  enter  into  a  particular  expo- 
sition of  this  passage  immediately  ;  but  reserve  it 
with  all  those  texts  that  are  supposed  to  speak  of 
Christ  as  acting  in  the  first  creation,  until  I  come  to 
reply  to  the  Arian  objections;  as  I  consider  all  these 
passages  as  more  applicable  to  the  Arian  than  the 
Trinitarian  Hypothesis. 

John  xx.  28. — And  Thomas  answered  and  said  un- 
to him,  my  Lord  and  my  God.  The  most  natural  way 
of  understanding  this  passage,  is  that  of  an  abrupt 
exclamation  uttered  by  Thomas,  when  his  unbelief 
was  overcome,  and  he  was  persuaded  that  his  Lord 
and  Master  was  really  risen  from  the  dead.  He 
breaks  out  into  a  transport  all  at  once  and  utters  un- 
connected words,  all  of  which  we  have  no  certain 
authority  to  apply  to  Christ,  far  less  to  ground  an 
argument  upon  them  contrary  to  the  obvious  tenor 
of  divine  Revelation.* 


*  It  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  Thomas  meant  to  call  Jesus  Christ 
God  in  the  proper  and  sublime  sense  of  that  word,  if  he  really  intend- 
ed to  call  him  God  at  all,  in  any  sense.  This  would  be  to  imolve  Tho- 
mas as  a  Jew,  in  a  breach  of  the  first  commandment,  and  the  solemn 
declaration  of  Moses,  ratified  by  Jesus  himself. 7—  Lord,  he  might  call 
him  with  the  utmost  propriety ;  for  Jesus  himself  had  said  before  to 
Thomas  and  all  his  disciples,  John  xiii.  13.  Ye  call  me  Master,  and 
Lord :  and  ye  say  well  ;  for  so  I  am.  But  Jesus  in  all  his  discourses, 
that  are  recorded,  never  assumed  the  title  of  God ;  and  when  he  was 
injuriously  accused  by  his  enemies  of  making  himself  God,  he  refuted 
the  charge  by  saying,  John  x.  34,  to  36.  It  is  not  -written  in  your  law, 
I  said,  Te  are  Gods?  (f  he  called  them  Gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of 
God  came,  and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken:  Say  ye  of  him  whom  the 
Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world,  Thou  blasphemest  ;  be- 
rause  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God  ?  Here,  we  find,  that  though  Jesus 
might  have  claimed  tiie  title  of  God  in  the  same  sense  in  which  Moses 
and  others  to  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  were  called  Gods,  he  does 
not  assert  his  claim,  even  in  this  low  sense;  but  only  cUims  the  cha- 
racter of  the  Sonrf  God,  and  that  on  account  of  the  Father's  sanctifica- 
tion  and  mission,  or  as  he  expresses  it  in  the  38th  verse,  that  je  may 
i  believe  that  the  Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  him.     It  is  farther 


52  -v   REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

Acts  xx.  '28.  Take  heed,  £sfc. — to  feed  the  church  of 
God,  which  he  hath  purchased  with  his  own  blood.  The 
best  manuscripts  read  in  this  place,  the  church  of  the 
Lord,  as  do  also  two  eastern  versions,  and  a  number 
of  ancient  Fathers.  This  appears,  therefore,  to  be 
the  true,  or  most  probable,  reading  of  the  place ;  and 
the  objection  consequently  is  removed. 

Rom.  ix.  .5. — Whose  are  the  Fathers,  and  of  whom 
as  concerning  the  flesh  Christ  came,  who  is  over  all  God 
blessed  for  ever.  Amen.  These  words  are  known  to 
be  of  ambiguous  construction,  and  may  be  rendered 
either  as  our  translators  have  done;  or  by  putting  a 
full  stop  after  the  words  Christ  came,  may  run  thus, 
God,  who  is  over  all,  be  blessed  for  ever.  Amen:  or 
thus,  who  (Christ)  is  over  all,  God  be  blessed  for  ever. 
Amen.  It  is  probable,  that  the  passage  was  read  in 
this  way,  or  at  least  in  a  way  very  different  from  our 
present  English  version,  in  the  early  ages  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  ;  as  we  find  these  two  ancient  Greek  Fa- 
thers Origen  and  Eusebius  disapproving  of  those  who 
called  Christ  the  God  over  all,  and  the  last,  referring 

observable,  that  in  this  same  xxth  chapter,  ver.  17,  John  records  a 
message  that  Jesus  sent  to  his  disciples,  in  these  words, — go  to  my 
brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father* 
and  to  my  God  and  your  God.  Jesus,  therefore,  who  had  the  same  God 
and  Father  as  his  brethren  and  disciples  had,  could  not  be  called  God 
by  Thomas  in  the  proper  sense  of  that  awful  and  sacred  word.  Nor 
would  Jesus,  who  refused  to  be  called  Good  Master,  have  accepted 
that  title,  but  have  reproved  Thomas  for  offering  it. 

For  my  part,  though  I  wish  to  honour  and  reverence  Jesus,  as  the 
anointed  Prophet  and  Son  of  the  most  high  God,  as  one  whom  the  Fa- 
ther hath  raised  from  the  dead,  and  made  both  Lord  and  Christ,  (Acts  ii. 
32,  36.  Eph.  i.  17  to  23  )  and  who  is  therefore  ever  to  be  acknowledg- 
ed as  Lord,  to  the  glorv  of  God  the  Father :  (Phil  ii.  9  to  11.)  yet,  stand- 
ing in  awr  of  the  strict  mandate,  and  solemn  declarations  of  Jehovah 
and  his  Prophets,  as  well  as  those  of  Jesus  himself  and  his  Apostles, 
I  cannot  call  the  man  Jesus  of  Naza>eth,  (Acts  ii.  22)  though  my  ex- 
alted Saviour  and  future  Judge,  God  Almighty,  but  must  reserve 
this  epithet  for  his  and  our  heavenly  Father  ;  attending  to  his  own  ex- 
press words,  which  it  may  be  seasonable  again  to  repeat,  Ye  call  vie 
Master,  and  Lord :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  1  am>  At  the  same  time  I 
wish  not  to  forget,  another  necessary  caution  of  his,  Math.  vii.  21. 
Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me  Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  :  but  he  that  doth  the  will  of  my  Father  whir':  is  in  heWven. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  55 

to  this  title  and  another  of  similar  import,  affirms, 
that,  "  whosoever  applies  these  titles  to  Christ  can- 
not be  a  pious  person." 

1  Tim.  iii.  16.  And  without  controversy,  great  is 
the  mystery  of  godliness :  God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh, 
&c.  Were  it  granted,  that  the  true  reading  was  God 
was  manifest,  &c.  it  would  not  serve  the  cause  of  our 
opponents,  for  the  words  might  be  explained  in  a 
most  scriptural  and  rational  sense,  as  denoting  that 
the  divine  wisdom  became  conspicuous,  or  was  pub- 
licly manifested  to  mankind,  by  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
gospel.  But  it  is  proper  to  take  notice  here,  that  the 
word  God  in  this  text  is  of  very  doubtful  authority. 
It  is  wanting  in  some  very  ancient  manuscripts,  as 
also  in  the  vulgate,  and  several  oriental  versions,  and 
is  not  read  by  ancient  writers  for  several  centuries  af- 
ter Christ.  All  this  amounts  to  a  pretty  strong  proof, 
that  it  has  been  inserted  improperly  either  by  negli- 
gence or  design.  The  true  reading  appears  to  be 
either,  which  was  manifested,  or  he  that  was  mani- 
fested in  or  hy  flesh,  iffc. 

Titus  ii.  13.  Looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the 
glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God,  and  our  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ.  This  passage  should  be  rendered,  the 
appearance  of  the  glory  of  the  great  God,  and  our  Sa- 
viour Jesus  Christ.  When  it  is  rendered  in  this  way, 
which  is  the  exact  meaning  of  the  original  Greek,  it 
denotes,  that  a  representation-  of  the  glory  of  God 
shall  attend  Christ  at  his  coming  to  judgement,  and 
not  that  Christ  himself  is  the  great  God.  This  is 
agreeable  to  what  our  Lord  says  himself,  Luke  ix.  26. 
— the  Son  of  man — shall  come  in  his  own  glory,  and  in 
his  Father's,  and  of  the  holy  angels. 

Heb.  i.  8.  But  unto  the  Sonhesaith,  thy  throne  0 
God,  is  for  t  ver  and  ever ;  a  sceptre  of  right ec  usness  is  the 
sceptre  of  thy  kingdom  :  Thou  hast  loved  righteousness, 
and  hated  iniquity;  therefore  God,  even  thy  God,  hath 


54  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

anointed  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows. 
According  to  the  original  Greek,  the  first  clause  of 
the  verse  ought  to  be  rendered  God  is  thy  throne,  that 
is,  the  support  of  thy  throne,  for  ever  and  ever.  This 
is  agreeable  to  that  ancient  prophecy  concerning  the 
Messiah,  Psal.  Lxxxix.  3.  4.  /  have  ?nade  a  covenant 
with  my  chosen,  I  have  sworn  unto  David  my  servant. 
Thy  seed  will  I  establish  for  ever,  and  build  up  thy 
throne  to  all  generations.  But  if  the  common  transla- 
tion were  admitted,  it  would  be  of  no  force  in  the  ar- 
gument; for  the  Son  is  here  declared  to  have  a  God 
above  him,  who  on  account  of  his  having  loved  righte- 
ousness and  hated  iniquity,  hath  anointed  him  with  the 
oil  of  gladness  above  his  fellows. 

1  John  iii.  16.  Hereby  perceive  we  the  love  of  God, 
because  he  laid  down  his  life  for  us:  &c.  The  word  God 
here  is  not  in  the  Greek  manuscripts,  and  is  even 
wanting  in  several  printed  Greek  Testaments,  it  is 
therefore  spurious,  and  ought  to  be  expunged  from 
our  English  bible.  The  true  reading  of  the  place  is 
this,  Hereby  perceive  we  love,  because  he  (viz.  Christ, 
who  is  understood)  laid  down  his  life  for  us. 

John  v.  20,  21.  And  we  know  that  the  Son  of 
God  is  come,  and  hath  given  us  an  understanding  that 
we  may  know  him  that  is  true:  and  we  are  in  him  that 
is  true,  even  in  his  son  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  true 
God,  and  eternal  life.  Little  children  keep  your- 
selves from  idols.  Amen.  It  is  clear  that  him  that  is 
true,  is  a  different  person  from  the  Son  of  God,  be- 
cause the  latter  gives  us  an  understanding  to  know 
him.  And  if  the  word  even  be  taken  away  from  the 
20th  verse,  which  our  translators  have  inserted  with- 
out any  authority  from  the  Greek,  it  will  appear 
that  it  is  the  Father  and  not  Jesus  who  is  styled  the 
true  God.  We  are  in  the  true  God  in  or  through 
Jesus  Christ,  or  as  his  disciples.  A  warning  is  here 
given  against  idolatry:  for  every  deviation  from  the 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  55 

worship  of  the  true  God  the"  Father  in  or  through 
Jesus  Christ,  comes  under  that  appellation.  This 
passage  therefore,  is  a  strong  confirmation  of  the 
Unitarian  Doctrine,  and  equivalent  to  our  Lord's 
words,  John  xvii.  3. 

Jude  ver.  25.  To  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be 
glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both  now  and 
ever.  Amen.  It  is  the  Father  (before  ver.  4.  called 
the  only  Lord  God,  or  only  Sovereign  Lord,}  who  is 
here  styled,  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  and  this 
is  established  beyond  a  doubt,  because  our  most  an- 
cient manuscripts  and  versions,  after  the  words,  the 
only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  read,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord,  and  this  necessarily  restrains  the  words  to 
the  Father. 

Rev.  i.  8.  I  am  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  beginning  and 
the  ending,  saith  the  Lord,  or  as  it  should  be,  the  Lord 
God,  which  is,  and  which  was,  and  which  is  to  come, 
the  Almighty.  This  passage  has  by  some  been  errone- 
ously applied  to  Christ,  because  it  follows  the  sixth 
and  seventh  verses,  which  relate  to  him  ;  but  any  per- 
son who  considers  that  this  book  of  Revelation  is 
styled,  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  God  gave 
unto  him,  and  that  the  Father  is  characterized  by  John 
in  the  fourth  verse,  as  he  which  is,  and  which  was, 
and  which  is  to  come,  and  that  Christ  is  styled  the 
faithful  witness,  and  the  first  begotten  of  the  dead,  and 
the  prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  will  easily  discover 
that  in  the  eighth  verse,  John  returns  to  speak  of  the 
Father,  who  gave  this  Revelation  to  Christ,  and  that 
consequently  all  these  sublime  titles  are  applicable 
to  the  Father  only,  and  not  to  him. 

We  have  now  taken  a  view  of  those  passages  in 
which  it  has  been  supposed  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is  styled  God,  and  have  found  them  either  false  or 
very  doubtful  readings,  or  erroneous  translations, 
which  can  never  afford  solid  ground   for  an  argu- 


JO  A   REPLY  TO   SUPPOSED 

mem.  But  if  it  were  really  proved  that  in  any  of 
them  Jesus  Christ  is  called  God,  this  could  not  shake 
the  firm  scriptural  foundation  on  which  the  Unity  of 
God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father,  has  been  demon- 
strated and  established  in  the  three  preceeding  Dis- 
sertations ;  since  there  is  (as  before  intimated)  an  ac- 
knowledged lax,  or  limited  sense,  in  which  this  title 
is  applied  in  Scripture.  Thus  Exod.  vii.  3.  Moses 
is  called  a  God  to  Pharaoh,  Judges  and  Magistrates 
are  called  Gods;*  and  in  a  similar  sense  the-word 
might  be  applied  to  the  man  Jesus,  as  the  anointed 
of  the  Father,  and  the  appointed  Judge  of  all  man- 
kind. 

There  are  some  other  passages  of  Scripture  from 
which  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  his  equality  with  the 
Father  has  been  erroneously  inferred:  I  shall  take 
notice  of  such  as  appear  to  be  most  material. 

Math,  xviii.  20. — For  where  two  or  three  are  gather- 
ed together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. 
That  our  Lord  could  not  intend  to  represent  himself 
as  an  omnipresent  being  is  evident  from  the  preceding 
verse,  where  he  says.  Again  I  say  unto  you,  That  if 
two  of  you  shall  agree  on  earth,  as  touching  any  thing 
that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Fd- 
ther  which  is  in  heaven.  Here  we  find,  that  the  Fa- 
ther only  is  the  hearer  of  prayer,  who  grants  and 
fulfils  the  requests  and  petitions  of  his  servants  ;  and 
consequently,  he  alone  is  possessed  of  divine  attri- 
butes, and  omnipresence  among  the  rest.  Neither  the 
jnan  Christ  Jesus,  nor  any  finite  being  can  be  every- 
where present  at  the  same  time ;  it  is  the  prerogative 
of  God  our  heavenly  Father  alone.  Some  other 
sense  therefore  must  be  sought  for  in  our  Lord's 
words. 

In  Deuteronomy  xxxi.  23,  it  is  said  of  Moses, 
And  he  gave  Joshua  the  son   of  Nun  a  charge,  and 

*  John  \\  34  to  3(5,  before  quoted. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  5i 

said,  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage  :  for  thou  shalt 
bring  the  children  of  Israel  into  the  land  which  I  sware 
unto  them  :  and  I  will  be  with  thee.  No  one,  Jew, 
or  Christian,  I  apprehend,  ever  inferred  the  divinity 
of  Moses  from  this  passage,  though  he  speaks  in  the 
character  of  God,  and  affirms  what  is  literally  im- 
possible, concerning  himself,  as  a  man.  But  Moses 
intended  nothing  more,  than  to  intimate  that  the  fa- 
vour and  assistance  of  Jehovah  would  accompany  the 
Israelites,  and  Joshua  their  leader,  as  effectually,  as 
if  he  himself  had  been  present  with  them  in  their  ex- 
pedition to  the  promised  land.  And  why  should  it 
be  thought  strange  or  unwarrantable  to  understand 
the  words  of  Jesus  in  a  similar  sense.  Moses  and 
Jesus  were  both  Prophets  of  the  most  high  God; 
though  the  latter  was  far  superior  in  glory  and  digni- 
ty. Our  Lord  then  may  have  intended  to  intimate, 
that  the  prayers  of  two  or  three  of  his  sincere  disci- 
ples, assembled  in  his  name,  and  recognizing  his  nu 
thority  as  the  Messiah  or  mediator  of  the  new  cove- 
nant, would  be  as  prevalent  and  efficacious  with  Je- 
hovah the  heavenly  Father,  as  if  he  himself  were 
personally  present  and  praying  along  with  them. 

But  as  I  would  wish  to  do  all  justice  to  this  pas- 
sage, I  will  here  take  notice  of  another  sense  in 
which  it  may  be  understood,  and  which  perhaps, 
may  be  more  acceptable  to  some,  than  that  above 
stated.  Our  Lord  says,  John  xiv.  16  to  18.  And  I 
will  -pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
Comforter,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  for  ever,  even 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  whom  the  world  cannot  receive,  be- 
cause it  seeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him :  but  ye  know 
him,  for  he  dwelleth  with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you.  I 
will  not  leave  you  comfordess;  I  will  come  to  you.  Ob- 
serve, that  our  Lord  here  represents  himself  as  com- 
ing to  his  disciples,  in  consequence  of  the  effusion 
of  the  holy  Spirit,  which  he  promises  to  procure  for 

I 


58  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

them  from  the  Father  by  his  prayers.  The  gift  of 
the  Spirit  may  therefore  be  what  our  Lord  intended, 
when  he  spoke  of  being  in  the  midst  of  two  or  three 
of  his  disciples  assembled  in  his  name. 

John  viii.  58.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  before  Abraham  was,  I  am.  Much  un- 
meaning declamation  has  been  raised  from  this  pas- 
sage by  Trinitarian  writers,  who  have  erroneously 
imagined,  that  our  Lord  meant  to  allude  to  the 
words  of  God  to  Moses,  when  he  says,  according  to 
the  Septuagint,  Vulgate,  and  our  version,  Exod.  iii. 
1 4.  /  am  that  I  am  :  but  which  the  Chaldee  para- 
phrast  Onkelos,  and  a  learned  modern  critic  trans- 
late, /  will  be  that  I  will  be,  that  is,  that  God  would 
perform  whatever  he  had  promised.  But  our  Lord, 
I  conceive,  had  quite  a  different  view,  and  that  his 
words  have  no  reference  to  the  supposed  sense  of 
this  passage  at  all.  He  meant  nothing  more  than  to 
express  in  a  concise  manner,  his  being  the  Messiah, 
foreordained  in  the  eternal  counsels  of  God,*  and  the 
subject  of  Prophecy  (Gen.  iii.  15)  before  Abraham 
had  a  being,  and  promised  to  Abram  himself  (Gen. 
xii.  3)  before  his  name  was  changed  to  Abraham. 
The  pronoun  he  ought  to  have  been  supplied  here 
by  our  translators  as  it  is  elsewhere;  and  the  passage 
rendered,  before  Abraham  was  I  am  he,  that  is,  I 
am  the  promised  Messiah,  the  future  light  and  glory 
of  the  world. 

In  all  the  other  places  where  the  words  /  am  oc- 
cur, he  has  been  added  to  complete  the  sense,  and 
in  this  very  chapter  we  have  two  instances  of  it. 
Verse  24.  /  said  therefore  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  die 
in  your  sins;  for  if  ye  believe  not  that  I  am  he,  ye  shall 
die  in  your  sins.  Verse  28.  Then  said  Jesus  unto 
them,  When  ye  have  lift  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall 
ye  know  that  I  am  he,  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself: 
but  as  my  Father  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.     See 

*   Pet.  i.  20. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  59 

also  John  iv.  25,  26.  xiii.  ]  9.  But  the  most  curious 
passage  of  this  kind  is  that  which  occurs,  John  ix.  9. 
Some  said,  This  is  he:  others  said,  He  is  like  him:  but 
he  said,  I  am  he.  This  place  may  justly  make  some 
writers  and  preachers  ashamed.  For  here  the  man 
who  had  been  blind  from  his  birth,  and  whom  Jesus 
had  miraculously  restored  to  sight,  might  put  in  his 
claim  to  divinity  and  self-existence  upon  the  footing 
of  the  words  /  am. 

But  before  we  dismiss  this  passage,  we  have  ano- 
ther observation  to  make.  Our  Lord  says,  verse  56 
of  this  chapter,  Tour  Father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see 
my  day,  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.  To  see  the  day 
of  a  person  implies,  that  the  person  did  not  then  ex- 
ist, but  was  to  make  his  appearance  in  the  world  at  a 
future  period.  Abraham  looked  forward  with  joy  to 
the  advent  of  the  Messiah;  and  with  the  eye  of  a 
strong  and  lively  faith  he  exulted  in  the  pleasing  pros- 
pect, and  anticipated  the  season,  when  after  a  suc- 
cession of  turbulent  ages,  in  his  seed  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  should  be  blessed*  Here,  then,  with  respect 
to  the  promised  Messiah,  we  have  a  confutation  both 
of  the  doctrine  of  Self-existence  and  Pre-existence. 

John  x.  SO.  /  and  my  Father  are  one.  Observe, 
our  Lord  does  not  say,  that  himself  and  his  Father 
are  one  God,  but  that  they  are  one.  And  in  what 
sense  they  are  one  appears  evidently  from  the  Con- 
text. They  are  one  in  respect  of  will,  consent  and 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  Christ's  flock,  and  of 
power  communicated  to  Jesus  and  exerted  for  that 
purpose.  Verses  27,  28,  29.  My  sheep  hear  my 
■voice,  and  I  know  them  and  they  follow  me.  And  I 
give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish^ 
neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  My 
Father  which  gave  them  me  is  greater  than  all :  and 
none  is  able  to  pluck  them  out  of  my  Father's  hand.  I 
and  my  Father  are  one.     Jesus  here  declares,  that  his 

*  Gen.  sxii.  18. 


60  A   REPLVTO  SUPPOSED 

Father  is  greater  than  all,  and  consequently  greater 
than  himself,  and  therefore  could  never  mean  to  in- 
sinuate that  he  was  in  any  respect  equal  to  the  Father, 
or,  according  to  the  dialect  of  some,  "one  God  with 
him." 

In  the  same  moral  sense  that  our  Lord  and  his  Fa- 
ther are  declared  to  be  one,  Paul  and  Apollos  are  said 
to  be  one*  Jews  and  Gentiles  are  said  to  be  one,\ 
and  our  Lord  prays  that  his  Apostles,  and  all  who 
should  believe  in  him  through  their  ministry,  may  be 
one.  John  xvii.  20  to  23.  Neither  pray  I  for  these 
alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me 
through  their  word :  that  they  all  may  ^  one,  as  thou, 
Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee;  that  they  also  may 
feoNE  in  us:  that  the  world  ?nay  believe  that  thou  hast 
sent  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  1  have 
given  them  :  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are  one. 
I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  per- 
fect in  one,  and  that  the  world  may  know  that  thou 
hast  sent  me,  and  hast  loved  them,  as  thou  hast  loved 
me. 

John  xii.  41.  These  things  said  Esaias,  when  he 
saw  his  glory,  and  spake  of  him.  Some  by  compa- 
ring this  passage  and  the  two  preceding  verses  with 
Isa.  vii.  1, — 9,  10,  have  inferred  that  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  was  Jehovah  that  Isaiah  saw,  sitting  upon 
a  throne,  high  and  lifted  up,  &c.  An  inference  tru- 
ly horrid,  unwarranted  by  the  context,  and  which 
any  man  who  reads  this  chapter  with  care,  or  at- 
tends to  the  declarations  of  Jesus  in  general,  may 
perceive  to  be  false.  In  the  38th  verse,  John  quotes 
Isa.  liii.  1 .  Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report?  and 
to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  (or  Jehovah)  been 
revealed?  This  quotation  must  necessarily  be  under- 
stood of  God  the  Father,  the  only  Jehovah,  because 
the  prophet  (speaking  of  the  Messiah)  immediatelv 

"    1  Cor  iii.  5  to  8.     t  Eph.  ii   11  to  14 


OBJFCTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURJb.  6i 

adds,  For  he  shall  grow  up  before  him  as  a  tender 
plant,  and  calls  the  Messiah  afterwards,  a  man  of 
sorrows,  and  acquainted  with  grief  The  words  his 
glory,  may  therefore  be  referred  to  the  glory  of  Je» 
hovah,  or  God  the  Father,  which  Isaiah  saw.  Some 
manuscripts,  and  oriental  versions,  read  in  this  place, 
the  glory  of  God,  or,  the  glory  of  his  God*  which 
confirms  this  interpretation.  But  if  we  should  sup- 
pose that  the  words  his  glory,  had  a  reference  to 
Christ,  they  could  only  signify,  that  Isaiah  saw  be- 
forehand, by  faith  and  the  spirit  of  prophecy,  the  fu- 
ture glory  of  that  Messiah,  or  Son  of  God,  who  after 
the  lapse  of  several  centuries,  when  the  fulness  of 
time  was  come,  was  born  of  a  woman,]  in  the  time  of 
Augustus  Cassar ;  in  the  same  manner  as  Abraham 
rejoiced  to  see  his  day,  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.\ 

Rom.  xiv.  10,  11,  12.  For  we  shall  all  stand  be* 
fore  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  For  it  is  written,  as 
I  live,  saith  the  Lord,  every  knee  shall  bow  to  me,  and 
every  tongue  shall  confess  to  God.  So  then  every  one  of 
us  shall  give  account  cf  himself  to  God.  By  a  compa- 
rison of  this  place  with  Isa.  xlv.  23,  here'  quoted,  it 
has  been  inferred,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Jehovah  the 
true  God.  This  conclusion,  however,  is  a  mere  so- 
phism, and  equally  unwarrantable  and  presumptuous 
with  that  mentioned  in  the  preceding  article.  For 
though  the  awful  process  of  the  last  Judgment  will 
be  immediately  conducted  and  administered  by  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  yet  the  judgment  itself  will  ulti- 
mately be  God's,  confirmed  and  ratified  by  him,  as 
well  as  exercised  by  a  delegated  power  and  authority 
derived  from  him.  This  will  appear  abundantly 
clear  from  the  following  citations.  John  v.  22, — 26, 
27.  For  the  Father  judgeth  no  man  ;  but  hath  commit- 
ted all  judgment  unto  the  Son,  &c.  For  as  the  Father 
hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given  to  the  Son  to  have 

See    Discourses  on   the   Divine   Unity,    Sec.  p.   lol 
f  GrU.  iv.  4.     4  John  viii.  56. 


62  A    REPLY  TO   SUPPOSED 

life  in  himself,  and  hath  given  him  authority  to  execute 
judgment  also,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man.  Acts 
xvii.  31.  Because  he  (God)  hath  appointed  a  day,  in 
the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  by 
that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained ;  whereof  he  hath 
given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead.  Rom.  ii.  16.  In  the  day  when  God 
shall  judge  the  secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ,  accord- 
ing to  my  gospel. 

Phil.  ii.  6,  &c.  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God, 
thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God :  Iffc.  The 
latter  part  of  this  passage,  as  it  stands  in  our  ver- 
sion, is  subversive  of  the  Unity  of  God,  expressly 
contradictory  to  the  doctrine  both  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment and  the  New,  and  inconsistent  with  the  Con- 
text itself.  Isa.  xl.  25.  To  whom  then  will  ye  liken 
me,  or  shall  I  be  equal?  saith  the  holy  One.  It  is 
not  however  the  mistake  of  the  great  Apostle  Paul, 
but  that  of  his  translators,  who  have  made  him  speak 
a  language  directly  contrary  to  his  true  meaning. 
The  place  should  be  rendered  in  the  following,  or  a 
similar  manner.  Who  being  in  the  form  of  God,  did 
not  aspire  to  be  like  God :  or,  more  literally,  did  not 
think  it  a  prey  to  be  seized,  or  laid  hold  of,  io  be  like 
God.  Jesus  our  Lord  was  in  the  form  of  God,  when 
God  anointed  him  with  the  holy  Ghost  and  with  power* 
when  he  appeared  amongst  men  as  his  embassador, 
distinguished  by  supernatural  knowledge,  wisdom, 
and  all  heavenly  graces  and  virtues,  and  working  so 
many  illustrious  miracles  ;  yet  he  did  not  aspire,  or 
covet,  to  be  like  God,  he  made  no  ostentatious  or  un- 
necessary display  of  these  extraordinary  powers,  but 
exercised  them  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  benefit 
of  men,  and  lived  in  a  humble,  familiar,  and  con- 
descending manner  with  mankind  and  his  disciples. 
This  appears  to  be  the  true  sense  of  the  passage  from 

*  Acts  x.  "8. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  63 

what  follows  ;  when  it  is  said,  but  made  himself  cf 
no  reputation,  or  emptied  himself  &c.  and  also 
when  it  is  added,  PI  here/ore  God  also  hath  highly  ex- 
alted him,  Iffc. — For  if  Jtsus  Christ  had  been  really 
God,  or  equal  with  God,  he  could  neither  have  been 
lessened  nor  exalted,  in  any  respect. 

Rev.  i.  11.  "1  am  Alpha,  and  Omega,  the  first 
and  the  last:  and," — Verses  17,  18. — Fear  not;  I 
am  the  first  and  the  last :  I  am  he  that  liveth,  and 
was  dead  ;  and  behold  I  am  alive  for  evermore,  Amen; 
and  have  the  keys  of  hell  (or  hades)  and  of  death. 
ii.  8.  These  things  saith  the  first  and  the  last,  which 
was  dead,  and  is  alive.  The  first  of  these  places  is 
wanting  in  many  manuscripts,  in  the  Vulgate  and 
several  other  versions,  and  left  out  in  several  print- 
ed editions  cf  the  Greek  Testament,  and  set  aside 
as  spurious  by  some  eminent  critics.  *  The  second 
and  third  are  genuine,  but  contain .  no  difficulty  in 
them.  It  is  evident  that  it  is  a  human  being,  who 
speaks  here  ;  one  who  was  dead  and  is  alive,  and 
who  shall  live  for  evermore  in  that  glorious  state  of 
dignity  to  which  he  is  exalted  by  God,  with  autho- 
rity over  the  living  and  the  dead.  Our  Lord,  there- 
fore, can  only  be  the  first  and  the  last  in  such  a  sense 
as  is  compatible  to  a  once  suffering  but  now  glorified 
man.  He  may  be  called  the  first  in  his  present  ex- 
alted state,  and  the  last,  when  he  humbled  himself, 
and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross  :f  or  the  first  may  refer  to  his  being  the  author 
of  the  christian  dispensation,  or  the  captain  of  salva- 
tion to  his  followers,}  and  the  last  to  his  final  triumph 
and  conquest  over  death  and  the  grave  at  the  gene- 
ral resurrection  and  day  of  Judgment.. 

Rev.  ii.  23.  And  all  the  churches  shall  know  that 
I  am  he  which  searcheth  the  reins  and  hearts  :  and  I 
will  give  unto  every  one  of  you  according  to  his  works. 

*  See  Discourses  on  the  Divine  Unity,  &c.  p.  278 
+  Firil.  ii.  8.     i   Heb.  ii    10 


64  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

It  is  the  prerogative  of  Jehovah  the  true  God  and 
heavenly  Father  alone,  who  is  present  every  where, 
and  conscious  to  whatever  is  passing,  to  search  and 
try  the  reins  and  the  heart.  See  1  Kings  viii.  39. 
Psal.  vii.  9.  Jerem.  xi.  20.  xvii.  10.  Nevertheless, 
we  find  some  extraordinary  instances  in  Scripture  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  human  heart  having  been  com- 
municated to  holy  men,  in  certain  cases,  either  by 
inspiration  or  revelation.  See  three  memorable  ex- 
amples of  this  knowledge,  recorded  of  Elisha  the 
Prophet,  2  Kings  v.  26.  vi.  12.  viii.  12,  and  one  of 
Peter  the  Apostle,  Acts  v.  1  to  11.  If  then  a  Prophet 
and  an  Apostle  had  a  singular  power  of  this  kind 
communicated  to  them  to  serve  useful  and  impor- 
tant purposes,  why  should  it  be  thought  incredible 
that  the  man  Christ  Jesus  should  possess  a  far  supe- 
rior degree  of  the  same  power  or  faculty  ? 

Our  Lord,  while  conversant  in  the  world  and  par- 
taking of  the  innocent  infirmities  of  human  nature, 
discovered  on  various  occasions  that  he  knew  the 
thoughts  of  men.*  He  possessed  this  knowledge,  no 
doubt,  in  consequence  of  the  anointing  of  the  Spirit, 
or  those  communications  from  his  God  and  Father 
with  which  he  was  favoured.  In  his  glorified  and 
exalted  state  when  his  sphere  of  action  was  enlarged, 
we  cannot  doubt  but  that  these  divine  gifts  would  be 
proportionably  increased  also.  In  Rev.  iii.  1 .  he  de- 
clares that  he  has  the  seven  spirits  of  God,i  the  pro- 
per meaning  of  which  expression  I  apprehend  to  be, 
4  a  plenitude  of  inspiration  and  divine  communications.* 
Possessed  of   these  transcendent  powers,  the  state 

*  Math.  xii.  25.     John  ii.  24,  25. 

■j"  In  Rev.  i.  4,  these  seven  spirits  of  God  are  said  to  be  before  his 
throne.  In  Rev.  v.  6,  they  are  called  the  seven  eyes  of  the  Lamb,  sent 
forth  into  all  the  earth.  It  is  evident  then,  that  Jesus  Christ,  even  in 
his  exalted  state,  derives  all  his  supernatural  knowledge  of  human  af- 
fairs from  divine  communication  or  revelation :  and  consequently  his 
searching  the  reins  and  hearts,  is  much  the  same  as  if  it  were  said,  that 
God  performed  this  office  for  him  ;  since  it  is  performed  by  the  seven 
Spirits  of  God. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  65 

and  condition  of  these  early  churches  could  not  be 
concealed  from  him,  and  he  discovers  in  all  his  ad- 
dresses to  them  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  their 
prevailing  sentiments  and  dispositions. 

But  when  all  this  is  said,  it  must  still  be  remem- 
bered that  our  Lord's  knowledge  and  his  other  capa- 
cities are  derived,  and  such  as  he  received  them  from 
the  Father,  as  he  intimates,  Rev.  ii.  29  ;  and  that  all 
are  of  limited  extent  and  adapted  to  the  circumstan- 
ces of  his  churches,  that  he  may  give  unto  every  one 
according  to  their  works. 

Rev.  xvii.  14.  These  (the  ten  horns  of  the  beast, 
or  kings  of  modern  Europe)  shall  make  war  with  the* 
Lamb,  and  the  Lamb  shall  overcome  them  :  for  he  is 
Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of  kings  ;  and  they  that  are 
with  him  are  called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful. 
xix.  1 3, — 1 6.  And  he  was  clothed  with  a  vesture  dipt  in 
blood :  and  his  name  is  called,  The  Word  of  God. — : 
And  he  hath  on  his  vesture,  and  on  his  thigh,  a  name 
written,  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords. 

Through  the  whole  book  of  Revelation  a  clear  and 
obvious  distinction  is  preserved  between  the  God  and 
Father  of  all,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  former 
is  magnificently  styled,  him  which  is,  and  which  was, 
and  which  is  to  come  ;  denoting  his  Self-existence,  in- 
finitude, and  eternal  duration  ;  the  Alpha  and  0?ne- 
ga,  the  beginning  and  the  ending,  which  is,  and  which- 
was,  and  which  is  to  come,  the  Almighty  ;  and  again, 
Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was,  and  is, 
and  is  to  come  ; — him  that  sat  on  the  throne,  who  liveth 
for  ever  and  ever  ;  and  is  afterwards  addressed  in  the 
following  sublime  strain,  Thou  art  worthy,  0  Lord, 
to  receive  glory,  and  honour,  and  power :  for  thou  hast 
created  all  things,  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are,  and 
were  created.*  The  latter  is  distinguished  by  the 
honourable  but  far  inferior  titles  of  the  faithful  wit- 

>  Rev    i     4.-8.     iv.  S  to  11 

K 


66  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

ness,  and  the  first  begotten  of  the  dead,  and  the  prince 
of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  called  also  the  Lion  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  the  root  of  David,  the  root  and  the 
offspring  of  David,  the  bright  and  morning  star,  and  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain,  and  who  has  redeemed  us  to  God 
by  his  blood,  &c*  The  very  book  itself  is  styled 
The  Revelation  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  God  gave  unto 
him  ;  and  he  received  the  sealed  book  out  of  the  right 
hand  of  him  that  sat  upon  the  throne.\  All  these  and 
many  other  expressions  in  this  book,  respecting  the 
heavenly  Father  and  his  son  Jesus  Christ,  very  plain- 
ly discover  to  those  who  have  spiritual  discernment, 
that  the  former  is  alone  God  Almighty,  eternal  and 
supreme  ;  and  that  the  latter  is  not  God  but  a  man; 
a  glorified,  exalted,  and  highly  dignified  man. 

Having  made  these  previous  observations,  it  will 
not  be  difficult  for  us  to  explain  the  words  King  of 
kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  as  applied  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Titles  or  appellations  are  given  in  very  different 
senses  in  Scripture,  and  must  always  be  understood 
according  to  the  nature  of  that  being  to  whom  they 
areapplied.  The  Father  is  called  1  Tim.  vi.  \5,theKing 
of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,  but  at  the  same  time  he  is 
characterized  as  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate, — who 
only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  the  light  which  no 
man  can  approach  unto,  who?n  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can 
see:  to  whom  be  honour  and  power  everlasting.  Amen. 
And  it  is  previously  said  of  the  Father,  that  in  his 
times  he  shall  shew,  or  manifest,  Jesus  Christ.  Here, 
the  title  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  in  the  con- 
nexion in  which  it  stands,  must  be  interpreted  in  the 
highest  possible  sense.  But  it  is  not  so  to  be  explain- 
ed when  applied  to  Jesus  Christ  in  the  two  places 
from  the  Revelation,  above  quoted.  It  is  there  con- 
nected with  such  other  expressions,  and  such  circum- 
stances, as  plainly  forbid  us  to  understand  it  in  the 
highest  sense,  and  will  lead  us  at  the  same  time  to 

1  Rev.  i.  5.— v.  5,-9,— 12.     xxii.  16.    tlUv.il.     v.  7 


OBJECTIONS  FROM   SCRIPTURE.  67 

the  proper  interpretation,  if  we  will  but  attend  to  them. 
In  the  first  quotation  our  Lord  is  called  the  Lamb, 
which  plainly  points  at  a  human  character.  A  Lamb 
is  a  terrestial  creature,  a  native  of  our  globe,  and  can 
never  be  employed  as  an  image  to  denote  God,  or  any 
supposed  superangelic  being.  A  Lamb,  denotes  a 
pure,  holy  and  innocent  man,  and  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain,  a  virtuous  and  most  excellent,  but  suffering 
man,  previous  to  his  exaltation.  The  vesture  dipt  in 
blood,  may  refer  either  to  the  blood  and  sufferings  of 
Jesus,  or  the  vengeance  to  be  inflicted  on  the  enemies 
of  his  church  and  people.  The  Word  of  God,  de- 
notes either  a  Prophet,  one  who  delivers  a  message 
from  God,  and  reveals  and  interprets  his  will ;  or  a 
King,  or  Lord,  who  derives  his  authority  from  God 
and  executes  a  commission  from  him.  All  these 
three  terms  are  applicable  to  Jesus  Christ,  but  the 
two  last  are  the  most  suitable  to  the  circumstances 
mentioned  in  the  Context  of  both  passages.  Jesus 
is  that  King  concerning  whom  it  is  said,  Psal.  ii.  6. 
Tet  have  I  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion,  and 
that  Lord  mentioned  Psal.  ex.  1.  JEHOVAH  said 
(Ladoni)  unto  my  Lord,  sit  thou  at  my  right  hand, 
until  I  make  thine  enemies  thy  footstool,  &c.  and  whom 
we  are  informed,  Acts  ii.  36.  God  hath  made  both 
Lord  and  Christ ;  and  who  is  therefore  ever  to  be  ac- 
knowledged and  reverenced  as  Lord,  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father .* 

Let  us  now  take  a  view  of  the  prophetical  events 
related  in  the  Context  of  both  places.  In  the  first, 
Jesus  Christ,  accompanied  by  his  chosen  and  faithful 
servants,  is  described  as  in  a  state  of  hostility  or 
warfare  with  those  kings  that  gave  their  power  and 
strength  unto  the  beast ;  but  we  are  informed  that  he 
shall  overcome  them  :  for  he  is  Lord  of  lords,  and  King 
of  kings  ;  and  they  that  are  with  him  are  called,  and 

-  Phil.  ii.  n. 


68  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

chosen,  and  faithful.  From  these  circumstances  com- 
pared with  the  four  passages  before  quoted,  we  can 
investigate  the  true  reason  why  he  is  called  by  this 
sublime  title ; — not  because  he  is  God  or  equal  with 
the  Father,  but  because  he  is  the  anointed  King  ap- 
pointed by  Jehovah,  and  the  Lord  whom  he  hath  set 
at  his  right  hand,  having  made  him  both  Lord  and 
Christ,  and  whose  power  consequently,  is  irresistible, 
and  superior  to  that  of  all  earthly  kings,  lords,  and 
potentates.  In  the  second,  we  have  a  more  particular 
account  of  the  dreadful  catastrophe  briefly  mention- 
ed in  the  first.  Jesus  Christ  is  represented  as  de- 
scending from  heaven  with  all  the  ensigns  of  royalty 
and  majesty,  for  on  his  head  were  many  crowns,  and 
gaining  a  complete  victory  over  all  the  enemies  of 
God  and  true  religion,  viz.  the  beast,  the  kings  of  the 
earth,  and  the  false  prophet,  joined  in  desperate  con- 
federacy. 

Immediately  after  this  decisive  event,  (Rev.  xx.) 
Satan  is  bound  ;  the  Martyrs  and  Confessors,  who 
suffered  for  the  witness  of  Jesus,  and  for  the  word  of 
God,  and  who  had  not  worshipped  the  beast,  neither  his 
image,  neither  had  received  his  mark  upon  their  fore- 
heads, or  in  their  hands,  lived  and  reigned  with  Christ 
a  thousand  years.  At  this  period  the  Millennium,  or 
kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth,  will  properly  commence. 
He  will  then  be  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords,  and 
the  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth,  as  he  is  called  by 
anticipation  in  the  very  beginning  of  this  Prophecy  ; 
when  the  Jews  shall  be  restored  to  their  own  land, 
and  acknowledge  Jesus  as  their  promised  Messiah, 
and  he  will  then  consequently  sit  upon  the  throne  of 
David,  arid  upon  his  kingdom,  to  order  it,  and  to  es- 
tablish it  with  judgment  and  with  justice,  from  hence- 
forth even  for  ever  ;*  when  the  fulness  of  the  Ge?itiles 
shall  come  in,~\  and  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  be 

*  Isa.  ix.  7.     f  Rom.  xi.  25. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  69 

come  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  (Jehovah)  and  his 
Christ,  and  he  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever.* 

It  is  on  this  account,  I  humbly  conceive,  that  our 
blessed  Lord  is  called  by  this  glorious  title,  when  he 
comes  to  take  possession  of  his  kingdom  upon  earth, 
and  not  before ;  and  it  is  remarkable,  that  it  is  said, 
that  he  had  a  name  written  that  no  man  knew  but  he 
himself  which  seems  to  imply  that  the  title  was  a 
new  one,  though  we  are  afterwards  told  that  this 
name,  or  title,  inscribed  on  his  vesture,  and  on  his 
thigh,  was,  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lord3, 
which  title,  I  hope,  we  have  now  satisfactorily  ex- 
plained, in  a  perfect  consistency  with  the  Unity  of 
God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father,  and  the  Humanity 
of  the  Messiah. 

We  have  now  replied  to  the  principal  of  those 
mistaken  or  ill  interpreted  passages  of  Scripture,  from 
which  the  Divinity  of  Christ  and  his  equality  with 
the  Father  has  been  erroneously  inferred.  Some 
texts  not  immediately  noticed  will  be  found  explain- 
ed in  other  placts  of  these  Dissertations  ;  and  some 
objections  we  have  thought  so  frivolous  and  weak  as 
not  to  merit  a  reply.  Such  are  those  paralogisms,  or 
forms  of  speaking,  in  which  what  is  in  one  place 
said  of  God  is  in  another  place  said  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ,  as  God's  instrument  or  messenger.  By 
arguments  of  this  kind  the  Divinity  of  Moses,f  and 
even  of  Satan, J  may  be  proved  from  the  authority 
of  Scripture.  I  am  confident  that  such  contempti- 
ble fallacies  can  never  mislead  an  impartial  and  pa- 
tient inquirer  after  truth,  and  that  whoever  shall  at- 
tentively read  what  has  already  been  said  and  will 
hereafter  be  advanced  in  the  course  of  these  Disser- 


*   Rev.  xi.  15. 

f  See  Numb.  xii.  3.  compared  with  Exod.  iv.  16.  vii.  1.— Exod.  xx. 
1.  2.  compared  with  xxxii.  7.  xxxiii.  1. — Exod.  xxxiv.  6,  7.  compared 
with  x.  16,  17.  Numb.  xii.  11.— Exod.  xiv.  31.— Dent.  xi.  14,  15.  com- 
pared with  xxi.  23. 

t  See  2  Sam.  xxiv.  1.  compared  with  1  Chi  on.  xxi.  1. 


70  A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

tations,  and  make  a  proper  use  of  his  bible  at  the 
same  time,  comparing  spiritual  things  zvith  spiritual,* 
will  be  in  no  danger  of  being  deceived  by  them. 

We  have  already  occasionally  intimated  what  we 
apprehend  to  be  the  true  scriptural  sense  of  the 
words,  The  Holy  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  God.  It  may- 
be proper  however,  to  be  a  little  more  particular. 
There  are  two  senses  in  which  these  terms  are  used 
in  Scripture. 

1.  As  denoting  Jehovah,  or  God  even  the  Fa- 
ther himself.  2  Sam.  xxiii.  2,  3.  The  spirit  of  Je- 
hovah spake  by  me,  and  his  word  was  in  my  tongue.  The 
God  of  Israel  said.  Psal.  cxxxix.  7.  Whither  shall  I 
go  from  thy  spirit  ?  Or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy 
presence.  Isa.  lxiii.  10.  But  they  rebelled  and  vexed 
his  holy  spirit :  compared  with  Numb.  xiv.  11.  And 
Jehovah  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  will  this  people 
provoke  me?  and  Psal.  lxxviii.  56.  Tet  they  tempted 
and  provoked  the  most  high  God,  and  kept  not 
his  testimonies  :  and  in  other  places.  But  the  strong- 
est passage  of  this  kind  is  that  in  1  Cor.  ii.  11.  For 
what  man  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man  save  the  spirit 
of  a  man  which  is  in  him;  even  so  the  things  of  God 
knoweth  no  man  (Gr.  none)  but  the  spirit  of  God.  Here, 
we  have  the  authority  of  Paul  the  Apostle  for  affirm- 
ing,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  as  truly  God,  as  the 
spirit,  or  intellectual  faculty  of  a  man  is  a  man. 
Consequently,  it  is  as  absurd  to  say,  that  the  Spirit 
of  God  our  heavenly  Father,  is  a  different  person 
from  him,  as  it  would  be  to  say,  that  the  spirit  of  a 
man  is  a  separate  agent,  or  different  person  from  the 
man  himself. 

2.  The  Holy  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  God,  frequently 
denotes  in  Scripture,  the  power,  energy,  operation, 
efficacy,  influence  or  inspiration  of  God.  Lukei. 
35.    The  holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon   thee,  and  the 

*   1  Cor.  ii.  13. 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  71 

power  0/  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee:  &c.  Luke 
xi.  13.  If  ye  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
gifts  unto  your  children:  how  much  more  shall  your 
heavenly  Father  give  the  holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask 
him?  Compare  this  with  Math.  vii.  1J.  If  ye  then 
being  evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  chil- 
dren, how  much  more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in 
heaven  give  good  things  unto  them  that  ask  him? 
Math.  xii.  28.  But  if  I  cast  out  Demons  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  &c.  compared  with  Luke  xi.  20.  But  if  I 
with  the  finger  of  God  cast  out  Demons,  &c.  Acts  x. 
38.  Go d  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  holy 
Ghost  and  with  power; — for  God  was  with  him.  See 
also  1  Cor.  ii.  4. 

In  John  xiv.  16,  17—25,  26.  xvi.  7, — 13.  the  ho- 
ly  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  God,  is  personified  by  our  Lord, 
and  represented  under  the  character  of  a  Comforter, 
who  should  abide  with  the  Apostles  for  ever,  and 
guide  them  into  all  truth  :  &c.  In  Luke  xxiv.  49,  he 
explains  all  this  figurative  language,  when  he  says, 
And  behold,  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you: 
but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  en- 
dowed with  power  from  on  high.  Again  Math  x.  20. 
For  it  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but  the  spirit  of  your  Father 
which  speaketh  in  you.  Mark  xiii.  11.  For  it  is  not  ye 
that  speak  but  the  holy  Ghost.  Luke  xii.  1 2.  For  the 
holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you  in  the  same  hour  what  ye 
ought  to  say.  From  a  comparison  of  these  places  to- 
gether it  is  evident,  that  the  holy  Spirit,  the  spirit  of 
your  Father,  the  promise  of  my  Father,  and  power  from 
on  high,  mentioned  by  our  Lord,  are  one  and  the 
same  thing ;  and  do  not  denote  a  person  at  all,  but 
a  gift,  an  inspiration,  a  communication  from  Jeho- 
vah, or  God  the  Father  himself. 

This  idea  is  still  farther  confirmed  by  the  manner 
in  which  the  holy  Spirit  is  said  to  have  been  impart- 
ed or  conveyed  to  our  Lord's  immediate  disciples,  and 


72  A   REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED 

to  others.  John  xx.  22. — he  (Jesus)  breathed  on 
them,  and  saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  holy  Ghost. 
Acts  ii.  2,  3,  4.  And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound  from 
heaven,  as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and  it  filled  all 
the  house  where  they  were  sitting.  And  there  appear- 
ed unto  them  cloven  tongues,  like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat 
upon  each  of  them  ;  and  they  were  all  filled  with  the  holy 
Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the 
spirit  gave  them  utterance.  Here  we  find  no  person 
or  intelligent  agent  introduced,  but  the  whole  repre- 
sentation betokening  only  a  divine  afflatus  or  inspira- 
tion. And  with  respect  to  our  Lord  himself,  we 
know  that  the  holy  Spirit  descended  upon  him  at  his 
baptism  as  recorded  by  all  the  Evangelists;  and  it  is 
said  John  iii.  34,  that,  God  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by 
pleasure  unto  him,  a  form  of  expression  that  can 
only  apply  to  a  divine  influence  or  communication, 
but  will  never  apply  to  a  person.  On  account  of 
this  fulness  of  the  Spirit  that  dwelt  in  Jesus  our  Lord, 
from  whence  the  very  term  Christ,  or  the  anointed, 
is  derived,  and  also  because  it  was  imparted  or  dis- 
tributed through  him,  or  in  his  name,  to  his  disci- 
ples, it  is  sometimes  (though  rarely)  called  the  Spi- 
rit of  Christ.  But  in  a  strict  and  proper  sense,  it  is 
only  the  Spirit  of  the  living  and  true  God  the  Fa- 
ther, from  whom  it  originally  proceeds.  We  find 
also  in  various  places  of  Scripture  the  holy  Spirit  re- 
presented as  poured  out,  shed  forth,  distributed,  &c. 
all  which  is  utterly  inconsistent  with  Personality. 
See  Acts  ii.  17,  18,— -33.  Rom,  v.  5.  Tit.  iii.  5,  6. 
Heb.  ii.  4.  vi.  4. 

A  strong  negative  argument  against  the  existence 
of  the  holy  Spirit,  as  a  person  distinct  from  Jehovah 
the  God  and  Father  of  all,  may  be  formed  from  the 
omission  of  that  name  in  some  remarkable  places  of 
the  New  Testament;  such  as  the  introductory  Apos- 
tolical benedictions  and  salutations  in  the  Epistles  of 


OBJECTIONS  FROM  SCRIPTURE.  73 

Paul  and  others,  and  in  Math.  xi.  27.  John  xvii.  3. 
1  Tim.  v.  21.  Heb.  xii.  22,  23,  24.  Rev.  v.  13,  &c. 

It  is  not  wonderful  that  the  holy  Spirit  should  be 
sometimes  personified  in  Scripture,  when  we  recol- 
lect that  other  things  to  which  it  would  be  the  high- 
est absurdity  to  attach  real  Personality,  are  person- 
ified. Thus  Salomon  represents  Wisdo?n  as  a  person, 
and  even  as  a  female,  Prov.  viii.  throughout,  also  ix. 
1,  2,  3,  and  couples  her  with  Understanding  and 
Prudence,  viii.  1, — 13,  and  describes  her  as  everlast- 
ing and  present  with  Jehovah  at  the  creation  of  every 
part  of  nature,  ver.  22  to  30.  Sin  and  Death  are 
also  exhibited  as  persons  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  Rom. 
v.  14.  vi.  12,-14, — 17, — 23.  1  Cor.  xv.  26, — 55, 
56;  and  Charity  is  personified  in  the  strongest  man- 
ner,  1  Cor.  xiii.  4,  5,  6,  7. 

Upon  the  whole  from  a  fair,  and  candid  compari- 
son of  spiritual  things  with  spiritual,  there  appears  to 
be  no  more  foundation  in  Scripture  for  representing 
the  holy  Spirit,  or  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  as  a  dis- 
tinct agent  from  Jehovah  the  heavenly  Father  him- 
self, than  for  converting  the  Wisdom,  Truth,  Mer- 
cy, Glory,  Providence  of  God  (so  often  personified 
in  common  discourse)  or  any  other  divine  attribute 
or  property  into  a  person;  and  it  is  melancholy  to 
think,  that  so  large  a  part  of  the  Christian  world 
have  been  so  long  deceived  in  this  respect,  and  that 
a  third  God,  or  intelligent  agent,  should  have  been 
brought  in  as  an  object  of  supreme  adoration. 

May  JEHOVAH  the  Father  of  lights,  from  whom 
cometh  down  every  good  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift;*  the 
God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  be 
pleased  to  enlighten  the  understanding  of  his  wander- 
ing creatures,  and  give  unto  them  the  Spirit  of  wis- 
dom and  revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  him,i  the  only 

*  Jam.  i.  17.     f  Eph.  i.  17,  18. 

L 


74        A  REPLY  TO  SUPPOSED  OBJECTIONS,  &C. 

proper  object  of  divine  worship.*  To  him,  the 
Lord  God  Almighty,  who  was,  and  is,  and  is  to 
come,  who  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  liveth  for  ever 
and  ever,  who  created  all  things,  and  for  whose  plea- 
sure they  are  and  were  created,  be  ascribed  glory  and 
honour,  and  power, ^  for  ever.  Amen. 

*  Math.  iv.  10.    f  Rev- iv-  8  to  11: 


DISSERTATION  V. 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP, 

AND  PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS, 

STATED  AjYD  VINDICATED. 

1  TIMOTHY  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

W  E  now  enter  upon  the  first  division,  of  the .  se- 
cond important  affirmation  contained  in  our  text, 
which  was  to  evince  the  true  nature  and  character  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  from  a  variety  of  scriptural 
evidence  and  testimonies  concerning  him  ;  or  to 
prove  that  he  was  really  a  man,  as  the  Apostle  styles 
him,  distinguished  and  dignified  by  extraordinary 
powers,  gifts,  graces  and  qualifications :  the  man 
Christ  Jesus,  or  Jesus  the  anointed  man. 

It  is  a  true  but  at  first  sight  a  very  surprising  con- 
sideration, that,  for  a  great  number  of  ages,  very 
different  and  opposite  opinions  have  prevailed  among 
Christians  concerning  the  nature,  the  person,  and 
character  of  our  great  master  and  teacher  Christ  Je- 
sus. Some  (the  Trinitarians)  have  elevated  him  to 
the  height  of  Deity  and  made  him  coequal  and  co- 


76  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

eternal  with  the  God  and  Father  of  all.  Others  (the 
Arians)  have  supposed  him  to  be  a  superangelic  be- 
ing, the  first  and  greatest  of  all  the  creatures  of 
God.  And  a  third  party  (the  Unitarians)  have  de- 
clared him  to  be  a  man,  of  the  same  nature  and  cha- 
racter as  other  men  are  ;  but  distinguished  by  super- 
eminent  virtue  and  the  fulness  of  divine  gifts  and 
qualifications. 

It  is  obvious  that  these  opposite  and  contradictory 
opinions  cannot  all  be  true,  nor  rightly  founded  on 
divine  Revelation.  And  indeed  had  either  the  Trin- 
itarian or  Arian  schemes  been  adopted  by  the  sacred 
writers,  ran  we  suppose  that  they  would  have  ex- 
pressed themselves  as  they  have  done?  If  they  had 
believed  that  Jesus  Christ  was  God  equal  with  the 
Father,  would  they  ever  have  styled  him  a  man  sim- 
ply and  expressly  ;  without  any  limitation,  qualifica- 
tion, or  reservation  ? 

It  is  in  vain  to  reply  to  this  perplexing  difficulty, 
that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  "  God  and  man  both 
in  two  natures  and  one  person:"  for  this  is  a  mere 
assertion  without  the  shadow  cf  a  proof,  and  a  thing 
besides  absolutely  impossible.  God  and  Man  are  as 
different  as  finite  and  infinite,  as  creator  and  crea- 
ture, as  self-existent  and  dependent,  as  eternal  and 
mortal;  and  to  say  they  are  the  same;  or  that  any 
proper,  indissolvable  union  can  take  place  between 
them,  so  as  to  render  such  opposite  natures  one  per- 
son, is  to  affirm  as  great  an  absurdity  as  can  be  con- 
ceived. 

If  this  notion  of  Christ  "being  God  and  Man," 
had  been  founded  in  truth,  it  would  have  been 
known  to  the  Apostle  Paul;  and  instead  of  saying 
the  man  Christ  Jesus,  he  ought  to  have  said  as  Trin- 
itarians say  now,  "the  God  man."  But  the  words 
of  our  Apostle  are  incompatible  with  this  notion;  for 
the  word  Christ  signifies  "one  that  is  anointed,"  and 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    SiC.  77 

consequently  the  phrase  may  be  rendered  as  we  have 
done  above,  Jesus  the  anointed  wan.  And  this  ex- 
cludes every  idea  of  two  natures  in  our  Lord:  for 
had  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  possessed  a  divine  nature, 
he  would  have  had  no  occasion  to  have  been  anointed 
with  the  divine  Spirit. 

With  respect  to  the  Arian  notion  of  our  Lord 
having  been  a  superargelic  being,  a  mighty  pre-ex- 
istent  Spirit,  who  came  down  from  heaven  to  inhabit  a 
human  body;  though  it  is  not  attended  with  such  gross 
and  shocking  absurdities  as  the  Trinitarian  system, 
yet  it  is  in  itself  exceedingly  improbable,  and  does 
not  correspond  to  the  language  used  by  our  Apostle. 
With  what  propriety  can  a  pre-existing  spirit  be  call- 
ed a  man,  or  how  could  such  a  being  feel  as  a  man 
does,  and  be  a  partaker  of  all  the  properties  of  our 
nature?  The  term  man  can  only  be  used  to  describe 
one  of  the  human  species,  and  can  never  be  applica- 
cable  to  an  angelic  or  superangelic  being.  The  man 
Christ  Jesus,  or  Jesus  the  anointed  man,  is  a  mode 
of  expression  unsuitable  to  Arianism  as  well  as  Trin- 
itarianism;  and  could  only,  I  apprehend,  have  been 
used  by  our  Apostle,  with  the  full  belief,  that  his 
Lord  and  Master  was  really  a  man.  And  it  is  not 
enly  in  one  or  two  passages  of  Scripture,  but  in  a 
considerable  number  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has 
this  title  applied  to  him.  To  confirm  our  argument 
and  exhibit  it  in  all  its  force,  it  may  be  very  proper 
to  recite  these  passages  at  full  length,  and  consider 
their  fair  and  obvious  meaning. 

In  John's  Gospel  i.  30,  our  Lord  is  styled  a  man 
by  his  forerunner  John  the  Baptist.  This  is  he  of 
whom  I  said,  after  me  comet b  a  man,  which  is  pre- 
ferred before  me:  &c.  John  the  Baptist  speaks  of 
Jesus  in  lofty  terms,  as  one  far  superior  to  himself,  as 
one  whose  shoes  latchct  he  was  not  worthy  to  unloose, 
and  who  should  baptize  with  the  holy  Ghost;  and  yet 


78  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

observe,  he  styles  him  in  plain  and  formal  terms  a 
man. 

John  viii.  40.  Our  Lord  has  the  following  words 
But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you 
the  truth,  which  I  have  heard  of  God.  Here  we  find, 
our  Lord  himself  calls  himself  a  man  in  speaking  to 
the  Jews,  and  asserting  that  the  Jews  wished  to  take 
away  his  life,  because  he  told  them  these  necessary  and 
important  truths  which  God  had  instructed  him  in 
the  knowledge  of.  These  words  in  the  connection 
in  which  they  stand  carry  a  great  deal  of  force  in 
them,  and  are  quite  inconsistent  with  the  ideas  form- 
ed by  those  who  suppose  him  to  have  been  a  great 
pre-existent  being.  Our  Lord  here  gives  the  Jews 
to  understand  that  he  was  a  man  of  sincerity  and  vir- 
tue, who  spake  the  plain  truths  of  God,  and  receiv- 
ed his  doctrine  by  divine  teaching  and  inspiration. 
A  character  and  description  only  compatible  with 
humanity,  but  not  reconcileable  either  to  the  Arian  or 
Trinitarian  systems. 

Another  cogent  testimony  to  the  proper  humanity 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  occurs  Luke  xxiv.  19, 
though  the  force  of  it  does  not  appear  in  our  trans- 
lation.— Concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  which  was  a 
prophet  mighty  in  deed  and  word  before  God,  and  all 
the  people.  In  the  original  Greek,  the  words  render- 
ed a  prophet  are  *»«?  ir&@*rrvi  that  is  a  man-prophet, 
or  a  prophetic  man.  This  passage  deserves  to  be  at- 
tended to.  It  shows  the  ideas  that  our  Lord's  own 
Disciples  entertained  of  him,  and  they  certainly  had 
the  best  opportunities  of  knowing  the  nature  of  his 
person.  And  yet  these  disciples  who  fell  in  with 
him  going  to  Emmaus,  and  who  appear  to  have  had 
the  sincerest  affection  and  esteem  for  him,  and  to 
have  regretted  bitterly  his  sufferings  and  death,  call 
him  nothing  more  than  Jesus  of  Nazareth  a  man-Pro- 
phet, or  a  prophetic  man,  mighty  in  deed  and  word  be- 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JEGUS,    &C  ?£ 

fore  God,  and  all  the  people.  A  most  beautiful  and 
just  description  of  the  true  nature  and  character  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Acts  ii.  22.  Te  men  of  Israel,  hear  these  words  ; 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  approved  of  God  among 
you,  by  miracles,  and  wonders,  and  signs,  which  God 
did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  ye  yourselves  also 
know :  &c.  This  is  a  precise,  full,  direct,  and  illus- 
trious attestation  to  the  real  manhood  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  given  at  a  very  remarkable  period  :  viz. 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  a 
wonderful  and  supernatural  manner,  had  descended 
upon  the  Apostles.  If  ever  the  Apostles  were  fully 
illuminated  and  instructed  in  the  true  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity, they  must  have  been  so  on  the  present  occa- 
sion. They  were  now  in  the  possession  of  the  divine 
Spirit,  or  power  from  on  high,  the  promise  of  the  Fa- 
ther,* which  had  been  given  them  to  teach  them  all 
things,  and  to  bring  all  things  to  their  remembrance, 
&ci  and  the  Spirit  of  truth,  to  guide  them  into  all 
truth. \  If  in  any  respect  they  were  defective  in 
knowledge  before,  this  impediment,  in  consequence 
of  the  divine  gifts  bestowed  upon  them,  must  be  sup- 
posed to  be  now  removed.  They  were  discoursing 
to  the  Jews  not  only  residing  at  Jerusalem  but  as- 
sembled from  every  place  of  their  wide  dispersion 
in  order  to  attend  a  grand  festival  at  Jerusalem.  It 
was  incumbent  upon  the  Apostles,  therefore,  on  this 
memorable  occasion  to  deliver  a  full  and  complete  tes- 
timony concerning  their  Master.  Many  of  the  nu- 
merous concourse  that  were  present  immediately 
might  soon  return  to  their  own  homes ;  where  they 
might  be  long  before  they  had  another  opportunity 
of  having  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  fairly  reported  to 
them.  An  omission,  therefore,  of  any  capital  truth 
on  the  part  of  the  Apostles  might  be  attended  with 

*  Luke  xxiv.  49.     Acts  i.  4,  5,-8.     f  John  xiv.  26.     i  xvi.  13 


80  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

very  bad  consequences,  and  could  not  easily  after- 
wards be  remedied. 

From  these  considerations,  I  would  expect  a  deli- 
neation of  all  that  was  capital  and  important  in  Chris- 
tianity. Nor  are  we  disappointed  in  this  expectation. 
Peter,  who  was  the  chief  speaker  or  mouthsman  of 
the  Apostles,  asserts  and  proves  the  divine  mission  of 
our  Lord,  as  authenticated  by  numerous,  well  attest- 
ed miracles,  charges  the  Jews  with  the  guilt  of  his 
death,  affirms  his  resurrection  as  taking  place  by  the 
power  of  God,  and  exaltation  to  universal  dominion, 
being  made  Lord  and  Christ ;  in  consequence  of 
which  he  had  been  enabled  to  send  down  the  holy 
Spirit.  Here,  we  have  the  great  outline  of  Chris- 
tian doctrine,  delivered  by  an  inspired  Apostle  and 
particular  intimate  of  Jesus,  for  the  information  of 
those  that  were  quite  ignorant  of  it.  If  in  any  place, 
therefore,  we  are  to  look  for  a  proper  account  of 
our  Lord,  it  is  here.  We  have  the  Apostles  for  our 
instructors,  and  behold  the  great  body  of  the  Jew- 
ish people  attending  as  auditors. 

What  account  does  Peter  then  give  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  now  removed  from  this  world,  ascen- 
ded into  heaven  and  exalted  to  dominion  and  glory  ? 
Does  he  call  him  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity, 
God  the  Son,  co-equal  and  co-essential  to  the  Father? 
Does  he  say  that  he  was  an  eternal  son,  begotten  in 
an  ineffable  manner,  and  of  the  Father's  essence 
or  substance?  Or,  does  he  express  himself  in 
terms  similar  to  those  of  the  advocates  for  Arian- 
ism,  and  style  Jesus,  a  great  pre-existent  Spirit,  the 
first  production  of  the  Supreme  Being,  and  a  subor- 
dinate instrument  in  the  creation  of  the  world?  By 
no  means.  Though  he  enters  upon  an  express  de- 
finition of  his  character,  it  is  only  in  these  words, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  approved,  or  pointed  out, 
of  God   among  you,  by    miracles,  and  wonders*   and 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  81 

signs,  which  God  did  by  him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as 
ye  yourselves  also  know.  Can  we  wish  for  a  clearer 
testimony,  or  a  more  exact  delineation  of  the  true 
nature  and  character  of  Jesus  our  Lord?  Words 
more  precise  cannot  be  devised.  Nor  can  we  desire 
more  unexceptionable  evidence.  This  is  primitive 
Christianity;  pure  religion,  unmixed  and  unadulter- 
ated. This  is  not  only  the  testimony  of  Peter,  but 
that  of  the  whole  Apostles  and  the  Christian  church 
put  together.  Worth  an  hundred  Nicene  councils  ; 
yea  the  whole  body  of  clerical  assemblies.  Does 
any  one  ask  us  what  our  honoured  Lord  and  Master 
Jesus  Christ  was  ? — We  need  never  be  afraid,  nor 
ashamed  to  answer  in  the  words  of  Peter  his  Apostle, 
that  he  was  a  man  approved  of  God  by  miracles,  and 
wonders,  and  signs,  which  God  by  him. 

We  have  now  seen  in  what  manner  Peter  and  the 
primitive  church  at  Jerusalem  speak  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ.  Let  us  turn  to  Acts  xiii.  38,  39,  and 
we  shall  find  the  Apostle  Paul  using  similar  lan- 
guage. Be  it  known  unto  you  therefore,  men  and 
brethren,  that  through  this  man  is  preached  unto  you 
the  forgiveness  of  sins:  And  by  him  all  that  believe  are 
justified  from  all  things,  from  which  ye  could  not  be  jus- 
tified by  the  law  of  Moses. 

These  words  were  spoken  by  Paul  in  the  Syna- 
gogue of  the  Jews  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  in  a  dis- 
course addressed  to  his  countrymen  there  assembled 
on  the  sabbath-day,  when  after  reciting  some  parti- 
culars of  Jewish  history,  and  mentioning  David  the 
son  of  Jesse,  he  adds  ver.  23.  Of  this  man's  seed  hath 
God,  according  to  his  promise,  raised  unto  Israel  a  Sa- 
viour, Jesus:  &c.  He  then  speaks  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist, and  of  the  unjust  condemnation  of  Jesus  by  the 
Jews,  his  death  and  glorious  resurrection  by  the  pow- 
er of  God,  and  sums  up  and  enforces  his  discourse 
in  the  important  words  before  quoted.      We  find 

M 


82  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

from  them,  that  the  forgiveness  of  sins  is  to  be  obtain- 
ed through  this  man,  even  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  and 
such  a  perfect  justification  bestowed  as  the  law  of 
Moses  could  not  furnish.  How  daring  and  presump- 
tuous, then,  is  it  in  any  to  say,  that  the  man  Christ 
Jesus  is  an  insufficient  Saviour,  unless  he  be  "  a  God- 
man.  "  Let  such  take  heed  lest  they  be  found  to 
kick  against  the  pricks,  in  opposing  the  man  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  *  of  the  seed  of  David,  who  was  raised 
from  the  dead,  according  to  Paul's  Gospel,]  as  the  Sa- 
viour of  the  world  of  God's  appointing ;  and  sub- 
stituting in  his  room  a  fictitious  Platonic  dream  of 
human  tradition.  Let  them  attend  to  the  awful 
threatening  contained  in  the  conclusion  of  the  Apos- 
tle's discourse,  ver.  40,  41.  Beware  therefore,  lest 
that  come  upon  you  which  is  spoken  of  in  the  prophets, 
Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder,  and  perish;  for  I 
work  a  work  in  your  days,  a  work  which  you  shall  in 
no  wise  believe,  though  a  man  declare  it  unto  you. 

We  find  another  instance,  still  more  remarkable, 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  of  this  illustrious  Preach- 
er and  Orator  Paul  employing  the  same  significant 
and  expressive  word  to  denote  Jesus  our  Lord  and 
Saviour. 

Acts  xvii.  3 1 .  Because  he  (God)  hath  appointed  a 
day  in  the  which  he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteous- 
ness, by  that  man  whom  he  hath  ordained;  whereof 
he  hath  given  assurance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath 
raised  him  from  the  dead. 

This  testimony  is  very  precise  and  distinct  as  well 
as  the  two  former.  We  find  here  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  expressly  distinguished  from  God,  under  the 
character  of  a  man  whom  he  hath  ordained,  and  whom 
he  raised  from  the  dead  in  order  to  give  all  mankind 
certainty  and  assurance  of  a  future  Judgment.  The 
occasion  when  Paul  uttered  these  words  was  a  very 

*   Acts  ix.  5.  xxii.  7,  8.     f  2  Tim  ii.  8,-11  to  1 J 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C  &S 

memorable  one  :  he  had  been  discoursing  to  the  phi- 
losophers and  wise  men  of  Athens,  and  giving  them 
an  account  of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity.  It  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  therefore,  had  been  more  than  a 
man,  our  Apostle,  who  shunned  not  to  declare  all  the 
counsel  of  God,  would  not  have  failed  to  communi- 
cate this  piece  of  information  to  the  people  of  Athens. 
But  it  appears,  that  he  only  announced  him  as  a  man 
ordained  by  God  as  the  Judge  of  the  human  species,  and 
raised  from  the  dead  as  an  evidence  of  the  certainty 
of  the  fact. 

It  must  be  owned  to  be  a  strong  argument  for  the 
proper  humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  he 
was  declared  to  be  a  man  at  the  first  preaching  of 
Christianity  both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles.  At  Jerusa- 
lem, the  seat  of  religion,  where  the  true  God  was 
worshipped,  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia  to  the  Jews  also  ; 
and  at  Athens  the  seat  of  Gentile  learning. 

In  the  Epistles  of  Paul  we  have  several  clear  testi- 
monies in  favour  of  this  important  truth;  some  of 
which  are  very  strong  and  convincing.  Rom.  v.  15. 
For  if  through  the  offence  of  one,  many  be  dead  ;  much 
more  the  grace  of  God,  and  the  gift  by  grace,  which  is 
by  one  man,  Jesus  Christ,  hath  abounded  unto 
many. 

In  this  place  and  the  verses  that  go  before  and  af- 
ter, there  is  a  strong  and  pointed  opposition  marked 
between  Adam  and  Christ:  and  mankind  are  repre- 
sented as  losing  or  suffering  by  the  one  and  gaining 
by  the  other;  and  both  are  represented  in  the  con- 
trast or  comparison  as  equally  men.  In  the  15th 
verse  before  quoted  Jesus  Christ  is  expressly  called  a 
man,  and  the  word  man  is  to  be  necessarily  under- 
stood three  times,  though  not  expressed  in  the  17th, 
18th,  and  19th  verses.  For  if  by  one  marts  offence 
death  reigned  by  one ;  much  more  they  which  receive 
abundance  of  grace,  and  of  the  gift  of  righteousness, 


84  THEMESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

shall  reign  in  life  by  one  (man)  Jesus  Christ.  There- 
fore as  by  the  offence  of  me,  judgment  came  upon  all 
men  to  condemnation  :  even  so  by  the  righteousness  of 
one,  (man)  the  free  gift  came  upon  all  men  unto  justifi- 
cation of  life.  For  as  by  one  marts  disobedience  many 
were  made  sinners  :  so  by  the  obedience  of  one  (man) 
shall  many  be  made  righteous.  Nothing  is  more  evi- 
dent than  that  the  word  man  is  constantly  to  be  un- 
derstood here  in  the  opposition  betwen  Adam  and 
Christ. 

A  passage,  strongly  resembling  this  we  have  been 
quoting,  occurs  1  Cor.  xv.  21,  22.  ¥  or  since  by  man 
came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive.    . 

This  place  carries  irresistible  weight  with  it.  The 
Apostle  affirms  that  as  by  man  came  death,  by  man 
came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ;  and  then  illus- 
trates his  meaning  by  contrasting  Adam  and  Christ. 
Now,  it  may  be  argued  here  with  the  greatest  force 
and  clearness,  that  as  surely  as  Adam  was  a  man 
Christ  was  a  man  also.  For  without  this  be  admit- 
ted the  Apostle's  argument  founded  on  a  comparison 
between  Adam  and  Christ  will  not  be  true  or  well 
founded.  If  Christ  was  a  pre-existent  spirit  and  not 
a  man  of  the  same  nature  and  species  as  Adam  was, 
it  would  not  be  true  that  as  by  man  came  death,  by  man 
came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.  For  it  might 
be  replied  very  justly,  that  though  death  came  by 
man,  yet  the  resurrection  came  by  one  of  a  higher 
nature  and  character,  either  by  a  person  equal  to  God 
himself,  or  by  the  first  of  all  created  beings.  Thus, 
the  comparison  between  Adam  and  Christ  would  be 
totally  lost,  and  the  force  and  beauty  of  the  Apos- 
tle's argument  destroyed.  Of  consequence,  from 
the  nature  of  language,  and  all  the  rules  of  fair  and 
just  reasoning,  we  must  understand  the  Apostle  Paul 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  85 

as  intending  to  inculcate  and  enforce,  that  Adam  and 
Christ  were  both  of  one  nature,  species  and  charac- 
ter; and  that  death  was  inflicted  in  consequence  ot 
the  offence  and  misconduct  of  the  one,  and  that  the 
resurrection  and  a  glorious  immortality  were  confer- 
red by  means  of  the  virtue  and  obedience  of  the 
other. 

In  this  same  chapter  verse  47,  we  have  another  pas- 
sage that  deserves  to  be  taken  notice  of.  The  first 
man  is  of  the  earthy  earthy:  the  second  man  is  the 
Lord  from  heaven.  Here,  we  find  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  even  in  his  state  of  heavenly  exaltation  styled 
a  man;  and  the  second  man  in  opposition  to  Adam. 
He  is  styled  the  Lord  from  heaven,  or  as  some  copies 
read,  simply,  from  heaven,  because  he  will  come 
from  thence  when  he  returns  to  clothe  his  people  with 
the  resurrection  body. 

Heb.  x.  12.  But  this  man,  after  he  had  offered 
one  sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sat  down  on  the  right 
hand  of  God ;  &c.  Our  Lord  here  is  called  a  man, 
when  undergoing  sufferings  and  death  for  the  benefit 
of  mankind,  and  he  still  retains  the  same  appellation 
when  exalted  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 

Besides  all  these  passages  where  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  called  a  man,  we  find  a  very  great  number 
in  which  he  styles  himself,  or  is  called  by  others,  the 
Son  of  man.  Instances  of  this  kind  occur  so  fre- 
quently in  the  Evangelists  that  I  think  it  needless  to 
quote  them,  as  they  may  be  found  at  the  slightest 
perusal. 

From  all  this,  we  have  an  abundant  proof  of  his 
proper  humanity  ;  for  no  being  that  had  pre-existed 
in  any  former  state  could  have  been  called  a  man  or 
the  Son  of  man  so  often,  without  a  great  perversion 
of  language.  Nor  can  we  suppose  that  the  sacred 
writers,  on  the  supposition  of  Christ's  pre-exisience, 
would  have  expressed  themselves  in  this  way  without 


86  THE   MESSIAHSH1P,    AND 

any  guard  or  limitation,  or  explanation,  whatever. 

If  it  should  be  objected,  that  Angels  are  some- 
times called  men  in  Scripture,  as  Luke  xxiv.  4, — be- 
hold two  men  stood  by  them  in  shining  garments :  and  in 
other  places,  it  may  be  very  properly  replied,  that 
they  are  so  called  for  the  moment,  with  regard  to 
their  external  appearance,  as  they  assumed  the  form 
and  figure  of  men.  But  the  circumstances  of  the 
story  show  that  they  were  really  superior  beings  and 
not  men,  and  consequently,  no  body  could  be  mis- 
taken or  deceived.  But  a  case  of  this  kind  is  very 
different  from  the  continued  use  of  the  word  man 
with  respect  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Were  any 
supposed  angelic  or  super-angelic  beings  to  be  shut 
up  in  human  bodies,  and  did  we  know  them  to  be 
such,  we  would  never  look  upon  them  as  men  like 
ourselves;  we  would  consider  them  and  speak  of  them 
as  incarnate  Angels,  but  not  as  men. 

If  it  should  be  farther  objected,  that  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  though  styled  a  man,  and  the  Son  of  Man, 
is  also  called  the  Son  of  God,  we  reply  that  this  ob- 
jection has  no  force  in  it;  for  every  sense  in  which 
th-U  title  is  given  is  grounded  either  upon  his  proper 
humanity  or  necessarily  connected  with  it.  We  shall 
examine  this  point  briefly,  and  prove  our  affirmation 
by  scripture  evidence. 

1 .  Luke  i.  35.  And  the  Angel  answered  and  said 
unto  her,  (Mary)  the  holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee, 
and  the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow  thee: 
therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of 
thee,  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God. 

There  is  nothing  in  this  passage  but  what  relates 
to  the  formation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  man; 
no  reference  to  any  prior  state  of  existence  either  im- 
plied or  expressed;  and  nothing  more  can  be  drawn 
from  it  than  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  a  human 
being  begotten  or  produced  by  the  immediate  power 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESU3,    &C.  87 

of  God;  and  on  this  account  called  the  Son  of  God. 

2.  Jesus  is  called  the  Son  of  God,  because  he  was 
the  Christ  or  the  anointed  of  God;  foretold  by  the 
prophets,  and  fully  qualified  by  divine  gifts  and  en- 
dowments for  discharging  that  high  and  important 
office.  This  may  be  proved  from  a  vast  number  of 
Scriptures ;  but  we  shall  only  alledge  the  following 
passages.  John  x.  34,  35,  36.  Jesus  answered  them, 
Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  Te  are  Gods  ?  If 
he  called  them  Gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came, 
and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken;  Say  ye  of  him 
whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world, 
Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God? 
From  this  place  it  is  clear,  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  on  account  of  the  Father  having  sanctified  him, 
or  conferred  extraordinary  powers  and  gifts  upon  him, 
superior  to  what  any  other  prophet  possessed;  but 
all  this  is  grounded  upon  his  humanity,  which  ren- 
dered these  gifts  necessary.  Again,  John  xx.  3 1 . 
These  (signs)  are  written,  that  ye  might  believe  that- 
Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  and  that  believing 
ye  might  have  life  through  his  name.  From  this  pas- 
sage it  appears  that  the  words  Christ  and  Son  of  God 
are  synonimous,  both  denoting  the  same  thing,  viz. 
"  a  man  anointed  with  the  fulness  of  the  divine  spi- 
rit;" and  that  it  was  the  great  end  for  which  John 
wrote  his  Gospel  to  prove  Jesus  to  be  such  a  person. 

3.  Jesus  is  called,  the  Son  of  God,  because  God 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  restored  him  to  a  new 
and  glorious  life.  Rom.  i.  3,  4.  Concerning  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  which  was  made  of  the  seed  of 
David  according  to  the  flesh;  And  declared  to  be  the 
son  of  God  with  power,  according  to  the  spirit  of  holi- 
ness, by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead.  To  the  same 
purpose  Acts  xiii.  32,  33.  And  we  declare  unto  you 
glad  tidings,  how  that  the  promise  which  was  made  un- 
to the  fathers,  God  hath  fulfilled  the  same  unto  us  their 


88  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

children,  in  that  he  hath  raised  up  Jesus  again;  as  it 
is  also  written  in  the  second  Psalm,  Thou  art  my  Son, 
this  day  have  I  begotten  thee. 

In  this  third  sense  the  title  of  the  Son  of  God  is 
grounded  upon  his  humanity  as  well  as  the  former: 
for  as  a  man  Jesus  was  subject  to  death,  and  as  a  man 
the  spirit  or  power  of  God  was  manifested  and  dis- 
played in  his  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

4.  The  fourth  and  last  sense,  in  which  Jesus  is 
styled  the  Son  of  God,  relates  to  his  triumphant  exal- 
tation at  the  right  hand  of  God  to  a  state  of  dominion 
and  glory.  Heb.  i.  1,2.  God,  who  at  sundry  times, 
and  in  divers  manners,  spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fa- 
thers by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these  last  days  spoken  un- 
to us  by  his  Son,  whom  he  hath  appointed  heir  of  all 
things,  &c.  Heb.  v.  5.  So  also  Christ  glorified  not 
himself  to  be  made  an  high  priest  ;  but  he  that  said  un- 
to him,  Thou  art  my  Son,  to-day  have  I  begotten  thee. 

This  kind  of  Sons  hip  is  also  derived  from  the  same 
source  or  connected  with  it,  viz.  the  proper  humanity 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  for  on  what  other  foot- 
ing, or  in  what  other  respect,  could  he  be  exalted? 
God  cannot  be  exalted;  it  would  be  downright  non- 
sense and  absurdity  to  suppose  it.  Nor  is  it  easy  to 
discover  how  the  first  of  all  created  beings^  through 
whom  all  the  rest  were  formed,  and  the  Father's  sup- 
posed instrument  in  the  creation  of  the  world,  could 
be  exalted,  or  have  his  glory  increased,  by  carrying 
along  with  him  a  glorified  human  body  into  heaven. 
But  on  the  scheme  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus, 
this  difficulty  vanishes;  Christ,  being  a  man,  was 
capable  of  being  exalted;  and  his  supereminent  vir- 
tue and  obedience  unto  death  for  the  benefit  of  man- 
kind, rendered  him  highly  worthy  of  being  so. 

We  have  now  shown,  that  Jesus  being  the  Son  of 
God  is  so  far  from  being  an  objection  to  his  real 
manhood,  that  his  humanity  is  the  only  ground   on 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  89 

which  this  title  can  rest,  or  be  properly  explained 
according  to  the  different  senses  in  which  it  is  given 
in  Scripture.  And  this  strongly  confirms  the  truth 
of  our  opinion,  when  it  is  found  to  be  consistent 
with  itself  and  to  harmonize  with  the  general  scheme 
of  the  sacred  writers. 

To  GOD  OUR  HEAVENLY  FATHER  be  as- 
cribed all  glory  and  praise,  in  the  name  of  the  man 
Jesus  his  only  begotten  and  anointed  Son,  whom, 
according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty  power ; — he  rais- 
ed from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand  in 
the  heavenly  places,  &c*  Amen. 

*  Eph.  i.  19,  20,  &c 


N 


DISSERTATION  VI. 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP, 
AND  PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS, 

STATED  AJVD  VINDICATED. 

1  TIMOTHY  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

lN  the  preceding  Dissertation,  we  quoted  a  variety 
of  places  in  the  New  Testament  in  which  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  expressly  called  a  man  and  enlarged 
upon  them,  pointing  out  their  force  and  efficacy.  We 
also  took  notice,  that  there  were  a  vast  number  of 
passages  in  the  Gospels  in  which  our  Lord  styles  him- 
self, or  is  called  by  others,  the  Son  of  man.  These, 
joined  with  the  other  places  in  which  he  is  styled  sim- 
ply a  7nan,  furnish  a  strong  and  striking  proof  of  his 
proper  humanity.  For  the  sacred  writers  could  not 
without  the  greatest  abuse  and  perversion  of  language 
have  used  the  terms  man  and  Son  of  man  so  often  con- 
cerning our  Lord,  and  that  without  any  limitation  or 
reserve,  if  he  had  either  been  God,  or  a  transcen- 
dently  great,  superangelic  being.  And  the  argument 
appears  still  stronger  when  we  consider,  that  they 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C,  91 

hold  the  same  language,  and  still  call  him  a  man, 
even  after  his  resurrection  from  the  dead  and  exalta- 
tion to  heavenly  glory.  As  some  might  think,  that 
Jesus  being  styled  the  son  of  God  was  an  objection  to 
the  scheme  of  his  real  manhood,  we  examined  all 
the  different  senses  in  which  he  is  so  called  in  Scrip- 
ture; and  proved  that  every  one  of  them  was  ground- 
ed upon  or  connected  with  the  doctrine  of  his  strict 
and  proper  humanity.  Though  all  this  taken  toge- 
ther forms  a  very  strong  and  clear  proof,  yet  we 
shall  still  pursue  the  same  subject  from  other  topics, 
and  prove  the  humanity  of  our  Lord  from  other  con- 
siderations. 

It  is  no  small  confirmation  of  our  doctrine,  that 
all  the  prophecies  concerning  Christ  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament speak  of  him  uniformly  as  a  man. 

Gen.  iii.  15.  (the  sense  of  which  place  is)  The 
seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  head  of  the  serpent. 
Now,  with  what  propriety  can  any  one  be  called  the 
seed  of  the  woman,  or  a  descendant  from  the  origi- 
nal mother  of  mankind,  unless  he  was  really  a  man, 
possessed  of  the  same  nature,  form,  and  mental 
powers,  as  other  men  are.  Can  God  be  called  the 
seed  of  the  woman?  Can  he  who  made  the  woman 
be  accounted  her  seed  and  her  offspring?  Can  a  su- 
perangelic  being  be  styled  the  seed  of  the  woman,  or 
by  any  incarnation  or  union  whatever  lose  his  own 
proper  nature  and  become  a  man?  The  seed  of  the 
woman,  according  to  all  fair  rules  of  interpretation, 
can  imply  nothing  more  but  a  person  born  of,  or 
deriving  his  existence  from,  a  woman,  who  had  no 
existence  before;  in  other  words,  a  man  born  into 
the  world  as  other  men  are,  and  growing  gradually 
up  to  manhood  as  they  do.  And  so  the  expression 
is  similar  to  what  the  Apostle  Paul  uses  Gal.  iv.  4. 
But  when  the  fulness  of  time  was  come,  God  sent  forth 
his  son,  made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law. 


92  THE   MESSIAHSHlPj    AND 

Gen.  xxii.  18.  God  speaking  to  Abraham  says, 
And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be 
blessed ;  &c.  The  same  reasoning  will  apply  to  these 
words  as  the  former.  The  Messiah,  who  was  to  be 
a  signal  blessing  to  the  whole  earth,  is  here  declared 
to  be  a  descendant  of  Abraham,  and  that  excellent 
patriarch  in  consequence,  as  our  Lord  tells  us,  re- 
joiced to  see  his  day,  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad,* 
But  how  could  the  Messiah  be  a  descendant  of 
Abraham  unless  he  was  endowed  with  the  very  same 
nature  as  Abraham  was?  If  in  our  conception  of  the 
Messiah,  we  include  the  idea  of  a  divine  or  pre-ex- 
istent  nature,  it  will  not  be  found  correspondent  to 
the  promise  made  to  Abraham,  which  points  at  no- 
thing but  one  of  the  human  race,  descending  in  a 
line  from  him. 

Deut.  xviii.  15.  18.  We  find  a  passage  that  is 
twice  quoted  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  applied 
to  Christ.  The  Lord  (or  Jehovah  J  thy  God  will 
raise  up  unto  thee  a  prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of 
thy  brethren,  like  unto  me;  unto  him  shall  ye  hearken. 

A  late  ingenious  writer  applies  this  prophecy,  not 
particularly  to  Christ,  but  to  a  succession  of  pro- 
phets who  were  to  succeed  Moses,  and  speak  in  the 
name  of  God  to  the  children  of  Israel.  But  though 
we  were  to  admit  this  sense  of  it,  yet  as  Christ  is 
one  in  the  succession,  and  more  resembling  Moses  than 
any  other,  it  might  be  supposed  more  eminently  to 
respect  him  than  the  rest.  But  it  is  quite  sufficient 
for  our  purpose  that  it  is  referred  to  as  applicable  to 
Christ,  by  Peter,  Acts  iii.  22.  and  by  Stephen,  vii. 
37. t     These  quotations  show  the  idea  that  the  New 

*  John  viii.  56. 

f  It  is  highly  probable  that  our  Lord  himself  alluded  to  this  prophe- 
cy of  Moses,  when  he  says  to  the  Jews,  John  v.  45  to  47.  Do  not  think 
that  I  will  accuse  you  to  the  Father?  there  is  one  that  accuseth  you,  even 
Muses,  in  whom  ye  trust.  For  had  ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  have  be- 
lieved me  :  for  he  wrote  of  vie.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how 
shall  ye  believe  my  words  ? 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  93 

Testament  writers  had  of  their  Master's  person,  and 
that  they  considered  the  words  as  giving  a  just  account 
of  him.  From  their  application  we  are  warranted  to 
make  use  of  this  passage  in  our  argument,  and  to 
draw  from  it  every  inference  that  it  is  capable  of  af- 
fording. 

It  is  obvious  then,  that  an  exact  parallel  is  run  be- 
tween Moses  and  Christ,  and  Christ  is  declared  to  be 
a  prophet  like  unto  Moses.  Moses,  it  is  well  known, 
was  a  man,  and  Christ,  who  is  affirmed  to  be  a  pro- 
phet like  unto  him,  must  therefore  be  accounted  a  man 
also.  But  the  words  are  still  more  precise  and  strik- 
ing. Not  only  is  it  said,  that  the  Lord  God  -would 
raise  up  a  prophet  like  unto  Moses;  but  he  is  declared 
to  be  raised  upfro?n  the  midst  of  thee,  from  the  midst 
of  Israel,  of  thy  brethren — that  is,  a  Hebrew,  or  Jew, 
by  birth,  one  of  your  own  flesh  and  blood,  a  gen- 
uine descendant  of  Abraham  and  Jacob.  Can  any 
thing  more  clearly  point  out  to  us  the  true  nature  and 
character  of  our  Lord?  Would  Peter  or  Stephen 
have  ever  thought  of  applying  this  prophecy  to 
Christ,  if  they  had  not  believed  him  to  be  a  true  and 
real  man?  Would  they  have  compared  God,  or  a 
man  personally  united  to  God,  to  Moses;  and  styled 
him  one  of  their  brethren,  or  would  they  have  given 
this  name  to  a  supereminent  pre-existent  spirit?  I  af- 
firm this  argument  to  be  a  good  and  a  solid  one,  and 
to  contain  a  great  deal  of  strength  in  it,  even  though 
we  should  admit  the  words  to  respect  a  succession 
of  prophets;  for  this  makes  no  alteration  in  the  ar- 
gument, so  far  as  it  is  grounded  upon  the  ideas  that  the 
New  Testament  writers  had  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

In  several  Psalms,  which  are  either  quoted  or  refer- 
red to  in  the  New  Testament,  as  having  a  view  to 
Christ  and  the  Gospel  Dispensation,  the  strain  still 


94  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

runs  upon  a  man;  sometimes  represented  in  a  suffer- 
ing, and  at  other  times  in  a  triumphant  state. 

In  Psalm  ii.  our  Lord  is  represented  as  the  anoint- 
ed of  Jthovah,  against  whom  the  Kings  of  the  earth 
vainly  leagued  themselves  and  conspired  to  hinder 
the  establishment  of  his  kingdom,  ver.  6,  7.  Tet 
have  I  set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  J  will 
declare  the  decree:  Jehovah  hath  said  unto  ?ne,  Thou 
art  my  Son,  this  day  have  I  begotten  thee.  All  this 
entirely  respects  a  human  character,  and  the  begetting 
and  Sonship,  here  mentioned,  refer  entirely  to  the 
resurrection  and  exaltation  of  Christ,  (and  are  so  ap- 
plied by  the  sacred  writers)  when  he  was  begotten 
again  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  declared  to 
be  the  Son  of  God  with  power. 

A  like  train  of  thought  occurs  in  Psalm  ex.  in 
which  Jehovah  is  represented  as  seating  the  Messiah, 
now  made  Lord,  at  his  right  hand,  and  overthrow- 
ing all  his  enemies,  and  rendering  him  triumphant 
over  them. 

In  Psalms  xvi.  and  xxii.  some  places  of  which  are 
applied  to  Christ  in  the  New  Testament,  we  have  the 
idea  of  a  suffering  person  of  great  virtue  and  piety 
held  forth  to  us,  enduring  great  calamities,  and  over- 
coming them  all  by  faith  and  piety,  constancy  and 
perseverance  in  well  doing. 

In  Psalm  lxxxix.  the  stability  and  duration  of 
Christ's  kingdom  is  supposed  to  be  alluded  to:  and 
in  exxxii.  11.  it  is  said,  The  Lord  (or  Jehovah')  hath 
sworn  in  truth  unto  David,  he  will  not  turn  from  it,  of 
the  fruit  of  thy  body  will  I  set  upon  thy  throne.  This 
is  expressly  applied  to  Christ,  Acts  ii.  30.  and  from 
it  we  discover  that  it  was  a  person  of  the  human  spe- 
cies lineally  descended  from  David  that  was  to  be  the 
Christ.  Agreeably  to  this  prophetic  character  the 
Apostle  Paul  says,  2  Tim.  ii.  8.   Remember  that  Jesus 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  95 

Christ,  of  the  seed  of  David,  was  raised  from  the  dead, 
according  to  my  Gospel. 

In  the  Prophets  we  find  the  same  notion  of  the  hu- 
man character  of  the  Messiah  still  kept  up.  Isa.  xi. 
1,  2,  3.  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod  oat  of  the 
stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  branch  shall  grow  out  of  his  roots. 
And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  (or  Jehovah  J  shall  rest  up- 
on him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding,  the 
spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge, 
and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord;  and  shall  make  him  of 
quick  understanding  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord;  &c.  Can 
any  thing  more  fully  denote  a  human  being,  a  pro- 
phetic character,  guided  by  divine  inspiration  than 
these  words?  I  might  expatiate  long  upon  them,  but 
forbear  at  present,  as  I  shall  have  occasion  hereaf- 
ter to  treat  them  more  fully. 

In  Isaiah  liii,  we  have  a  prophecy  of  considerable 
length  concerning  Christ,  in  which  he  is  uniformly 
represented  as  a  suffering,  afflicted  human  character, 
and  even  expressly  styled  ver.  3.  a  man  of  sorrows 
and  acquainted  with  grief  In  verse  8,  occur  the 
words,  He  was  taken  from  prison  and  from  judgment  : 
and  who  shall  declare  his  generation  ?  &c.  which  last 
words  refer  either  to  the  wickedness  of  that  genera- 
tion among  whom  he  lived,  and  by  whom  as  the  pro- 
phet adds,  he  was  cut  off  out  of  the  land  of  the  living; 
and  concerning  whom  our  Lord  himself  says,  Math, 
xi.  16.  But  whereunto  shall  I  liken  this  generation? 
and  again  xii.  39.  An  evil  and  adulterous  generation 
jeeketh  after  a  sign:  or  if  we  adopt  the  translation  of 
the  Hebrew  word  proposed  by  the  late  learned  Bishop 
Lowth,  the  clause  will  run,  And  his  manner  of  life 
who  shall  declare  ?  Referring,  as  the  ingenious  wri- 
ter supposes,  to  the  injustice  done  to  Jesus  by  the  Jew- 
ish Rulers,  at  his  trial  and  condemnation,  in  not  call- 
ing in  witnesses  to  prove  the  innocence  and  integrity 
of  his  character. 


96  THE  MESS1AHSHIP,    AND 

We  may  examine  all  the  prophetical  descriptions 
of  the  Messiah  occurring  in  other  places,  and  we 
shall  find  they  all  centre  in  one  belonging  to  human 
nature,  who  was  to  spring  from  Abraham  and  from 
David.  In  some  prophecies  a  few  figurative  expres- 
sions occur,  which  have  been  greatly  mistaken  by 
some  christian  interpreters,  who  read  the  Jewish 
Scriptures  full  of  their  own  Trinitarian  prejudices 
and  preconceived  notions;  and  on  that  account 
snatch  at  a  shadow  and  endeavour  to  convert  it  into 
a  real  argument.  Thus,  when  Isaiah  ix.  6,  styles 
the  Messiah  a  mighty  God,  according  as  the  Hebrew- 
text  now  runs,  (though  the  word  God  is  wanting  in 
the  two  most  valuable  copies  of  the  Septuagint,)  they 
imagine  this  expression  makes  a  great  deal  for  their 
cause ;  but  when  it  is  compared  with  the  context 
it  amounts  to  no  more  than  a  mighty  ruler  or  potentate, 
as  we  shewed  when  we  treated  of  this  passage  in  our 
reply  to  objections. 

In  like  manner  some  consider  Jerem.  xxiii.  6. — 
And  this  is  his  name  whereby  he  shall  be  called,  Jeho- 
vah our  righteousness;  as  a  formidable  objection; 
when  in  truth  it  is  just  nothing  but  a  mere  Hebraism, 
denoting  that  Jehovah  will  be  favourable  to  his  peo- 
ple Judah  and  Israel  (ver.  5,  6.)  by  that  righteous 
branch,  which  he  promises  to  raise  unto  David,  or  a 
King  who  shall  reign  and  prosper,  and  shall  execute 
judgment  and  justice  in  the  earth.  This  is  evident  be- 
yond a  doubt  from  another  passage  in  the  same  pro- 
phet, xxxiii.  1 6.  In  those  days  shall  Judah  be  savedy 
and  Jerusalem  shall  dwell  sajely;  and  this  is  the  name 
wherewith  she  shall  be  called,  Jehovah  mir  righteous- 
ness. Here  the  city  of  Jerusalem  is  styled  by  the 
prophet  Jehovah  our  righteousness.  But  surely  no 
one  ever  imagined  that  city  to  be  God.  The  same 
argument  is  equally  conclusive  in  both  cases. 

Of  the  same  nature  is  that  expression  occurring 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESU3,    &C.  97 

Isa.  vii.  14.  and  quoted  by  Matthew,  i.  23.  And  they 
shall  call  his  name  Emmanuel,  which,  being  interpreted, 
is,  God  with  us.  It  denotes  God's  kindness  and  fa- 
vourable designs  by  the  Messiah,  and  his  extraordi- 
nary presence  with  him,  and  nothing  else. 

In  a  prophecy  concerning  the  Messiah  in  Micah 
v.  2.  our  translators  have  rendered  the  latter  part  of 
the  verse,  whose  goings  forth  have  been  of  old,  from 
everlasting.  The  original  word,  rendered  whose  go- 
ings forth,  cannot  be  considered  in  an  active  sense, 
as  respecting  the  Messiah  himself,  who  was  born  at 
Bethlehem;  but  if  it  is  not  to  be  interpreted  of  the 
royal  and  ancient  family  from  which  he  sprung,  it 
must  be  referred  to  the  divine  decree  and  prophetical 
declarations  concerning  him,  as  the  Chaldee  para- 
phrase renders  it,  "  whose  name  has  been  told  or 
mentioned  from  eternity,  from  the  days  of  the  age." 
Every  argument  for  the  eternal  existence,  or  even 
pre-existence  of  the  Messiah,  from  this  place,  is  ef- 
fectually overthrown,  not  only  by  the  inconsistency  of 
the  thing  itself,  but  by  what  is  said  concerning  him 
in  the  4th  verse.  And  he  shall  stand  and  feed  in  the 
strength  of  Jehovah,  in  the  majesty  of  the  name  of  Je- 
hovah his  God,  &c. 

in  a  celebrated  prophecy  concerning  the  happy  and 
gracious  change  which  shall  take  place  in  the  temper 
and  sentiments  of  the  Jewish  nation  with  respect  to 
Jesus  our  Lord,  upon  their  conversion,  and  acknow- 
ledgment of  him  as  their  promised  Messiah,  the  fol- 
lowing words  occur,  Zechar.  xii.  10.  And  /(Jeho- 
vah) will  pour  upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of 
supplications ;  and  they  shall  look  upon  me  whom  th?y 
have  pierced,  and  they  shall  mourn  for  him,  as  one 
mourneth  for  his  only  son,  and  shall  be  in  bitterness  for 
him,  as  one  that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first  born.  One 
may  be  sensible,  at  the  slightest  inspection,  of  a  very 
O 


98  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

gross  impropriety,  not  to  call  it  by  a  harsher  name, 
in  the  common  Hebrew  text,  and  our  English  trans- 
lation, in  the  words,  and  they  shall  look  upon  me 
whom  they  have  -pierced.  It  is  inconsistent  with  what 
follows,  where  the  pronoun  is  changed  from  me  to 
him;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  it  is  a  false 
reading.  The  Evangelist  John  expressly  quotes  it 
him,  xix.  37.  And  again  another  scripture  saith,  They 
shall  look  on  him  whom  they  pierced.  Besides  this,  the 
venerable  Mr.  Lindsey  observes,  "  the  late  learned 
"  Dr.  Kennicott,  whose  design  and  immense  labours, 
u  ought  ever  to  be  mentioned  with  honour,  in  his 
"  most  valuable  edition  of  the  Hebrew  Bible ;  has 
"  found  they  pierced  him,  to  be  the  reading  of  this 
"  passage  in  no  less  than  forty  Hebrew  manuscripts." 

I  shall  just  mention  one  prophetical  passage  more 
which  has  also  been  strangely  misapplied.  Zechariah 
xiii.  7.  Awake,  0  sword,  against  my  shepherd,  and 
against  the  man  that  is  my  fellow,  saith  //^Lord  of 
hosts:  &c.  From  the  mere  sound  of  the  word  fel- 
low in  our  version,  which  by  the  bye  is  not  a  just  ren- 
dering of  the  original,  it  has  been  absurdly  if  not 
blasphemously  supposed  by  some,  that  Jehovah  has  an 
equal,  an  associate.  One  would  have  thought  that 
the  words  shepherd,  and  man,  here  used,  would 
have  set  these  interpreters  right  and  led  them  into 
the  true  sense  of  the  passage.  But  to  cut  off  every 
subterfuge  it  is  proper  to  observe,  that  the  original 
word  signifies  one  that  is  near  or  dear  to  another,  and 
may  be  rendered  my  darling,  or  my  friend. 

We  have  now  shown,  that  the  ancient  prophecies 
concerning  Christ  point  entirely  at  a  human  charac- 
ter, an  Israelite  by  birth,  of  the  stock  of  Abraham 
and  David.  And  it  is  a  matter  of  consequence  to 
show  this,  because  the  Messiah  when  he  came  must 
be  found  to  correspond  to  what  ancient  prophets  had 
foretold  concerning  him,  or  he  could  not  be  consi- 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  99 

dered  as  the  true  Messiah.  The  Trinitarian  doctrine 
concerning  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  a  prodi- 
gious stumbling  block  to  the  Jews;  and  even  the  A- 
rian  scheme  by  no  means  suits  their  ideas. 

The  Jews  understood  the  language  of  the  prophets 
far  better  than  many  christian  interpreters.  They 
never  thought  that  God  himself,  or  any  pre-existent 
spirit,  was  to  come  down  from  heaven  to  them.  On 
the  contrary,  they  expected  their  Messiah  to  be  a  man 
and  a  native  of  their  own  country.  Traces  of  this 
notion  appear  in  the  Gospels.  John  vii.  42.  Hath 
not  the  scripture  said.  That  Christ  comet h  of  the  seed 
of  David,  and  out  of  the  town  of  Bethlehem,  where 
David  was?  So  prevailing  was  the  notion  that  Christ 
was  to  be  of  the  family  of  David,  that  the  words 
Son  of  David  was  become  a  term  appropriated  to  him 
whom  they  expected  as  the  Christ,  of  which  we  find 
various  instances  in  the  New  Testament.*  The 
Samaritans,  who  were  of  the  same  religion  as  the 
Jews,  and  differed  only  with  respect  to  the  place  of 
worship,  entertained  the  same  ideas  concerning  the 
person  of  the  Messiah;  as  appears  from  what  the 
woman  of  Samaria  says,  John  iv.  29.  Come,  see 
a  man  which  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did:  Is  not 
this  the  Christ? 

This  notion  of  the  Jews  concerning  the  real  hu- 
manity ot  Christ  appears  to  have  been  the  prevailing 
sentiment  of  the  nation  in  every  age.  Their  Targum 
on  Cantic.  viii.  1.  is  as  follows:  "  When  the  Messias 
"  shall  reveal  himself,  the  sons  of  Israel  shall  say- 
"  unto  him,  thou  shalt  be  unto  us  a  Brother;"  and 
Trypho  the  Jew  in  his  dialogue  with  Justin  Martyr 
tells  him,  that  "  it  appeared  to  him  not  only  astonish- 
"  ing,  but  even  ridiculous,  to  suppose  Christ  to  have 
"  been  a  God  existing  before  the  world,  and  conde- 
"  scending  to  become  a  man,  and  not  a  man  as  other 
"  men  are."     Origen  in  his  reply  to  Celsus  bears 

*  Math.  i.  1.     x.\i.  9.     xxii.  42,  and  "in  other  places. 


100  THE   MESSIAHSHiP,    AND 


testimony  to  the  same  truth,  and  says,  "  he"  (Cel- 
sus)  "  does  not  consider,  that  the  Jews  by  no  means 
"  allow  the  Christ  to  come  down  from  heaven,  either 
"as  a  God,  or  Son  of  God." 

Having  now  shown  the  evidence  for  the  proper 
humanity  of  Jesus  arising  from  ancient  prophecy, 
we  come  to  prove  the  same  important  point  from 
another  strong  consideration,  viz.  the  communication 
of  the  divine  Spirit  to  him,  which  was  the  source  of 
his  wisdom,  and  knowledge,  and  of  all  his  miracu- 
lous works.  We  have  seen  from  a  passage  already 
quoted  from  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah  chap.  xi.  ] ,  2, 
he.  that  when  the  Messiah  came,  the  spirit  of  Jeho- 
vah should  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  an- 
tler standing,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit 
of  knowledge,  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord;   &c. 

Accordingly,  before  our  Lord  entered  upon  the 
great  and  important  work  of  his  public  ministry,  he 
was  solemnly  consecrated,  sanctified,  and  set  apart 
to  his  office  by  the  effusion  of  the  holy  Spirit,  which 
descended  from  heaven  upon  him  in  a  visible  form, 
and  attended  with  an  audible  voice.  All  the  four 
Evangelists  have  particularly  recorded  this  remark- 
able fact,  which  indeed  is  of  the  highest  consequence. 
I  shall  content  myself  immediately,  with  quoting  the 
account  of  it  as  given  by  Matthew  and  John,  both 
Apostles  and  personal  attendants  of  our  Lord. 

Matthew's  account  is  as  follows.  Chap.  iii.  16,  17. 
And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up  straight- 
way out  of  the  water:  and  lo,  the  heavens  were  open- 
ed unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God  descending 
like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon  him.  And  lo,  a  voice 
from  heaven,  saying,  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom 
I  am  well  pleased. 

John's  account  is  in  the  following  words.  Chap, 
i.  32,  33,  34.  And  John  bare  record,  saying,  I  saw 
the  Spirit  descending  from   heaven  like  a  dove,  and  it 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,   &C.  101 

abode  upon  him.  And  I  knew  him  not:  but  he  that 
sent  me  to  baptize  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me, 
Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descending  and  re- 
maining on  him,  the  same  is  he  which  baptizeth  with  the 
holy  Ghost.  And  I  saw,  and  bare  record,  that  this 
is  the  Son  of  God. 

An  important  narrative  of  this  kind,  deserves  par- 
ticular notice;  and  if  attentively  considered  it  may 
suggest  some  very  important  topics.  I  apprehend, 
that  the  account  here  given  by  the  inspired  writers  is 
sufficient  to  overturn  from  the  foundation  both  the 
Trinitarian  and  Arian  schemes,  and  to  establish  the 
doctrine  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus  on  a  solid, 
rational,  and  scriptural  foundation. 

In  the  first  place,  it  appears  evident  to  me,  that 
before  this  miraculous  communication  of  the  Spirit 
to  Jesus,  he  was  only  in  a  private  station,  not  conse- 
crated to  the  Messiahship,  not  qualified  for  acting  in 
the  public  character  of  the  great  teacher  and  reform- 
er of  mankind,  not  endowed  with  the  fulness  of  di- 
vine gifts  and  graces,  with  supernatural  wisdom  and 
the  power  of  working  illustrious  miracles.  But 
when  this  wonderful  power  and  divine  energy  de- 
scended upon  him,  he  was  endowed  with  every  qua- 
lification necessary  for  the  purposes  of  his  Messiah- 
ship.  He  could  speak  as  never  man  spake,  he  could 
teach  with  authority  and  propriety  in  the  name  of 
God,  and  could  work  whatever  miracles  were  neces- 
sary for  authenticating  his  divine  mission,  and  ascer- 
taining the  validity  of  his  public  character,  as  God's 
messenger  and  embassador. 

Now,  all  this  is  extremely  consistent  and  natural 
upon  the  scheme  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus. 
Without  divine  communications,  without  the  fulness 
of  the  Spirit  imparted  to  him,  Jesus,  as  a  man,  would 
have  been  unqualified  for  the  great  and  arduous  task 
assigned  to  him. 


{02  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

But,  I  inquire,  how  do  these  qualifications  tally 
or  coincide  either  with  the  Trinitarian  or  Arian 
schemes  ? 

According  to  the  Trinitarian  hypothesis,  the  hu- 
man nature  of  Jesus  was  in  union  with  the  second 
person  of  the  Trinity,  with  God  the  Son  equal  in 
dignity  with  the  first,  from  the  moment  of  its  first 
formation;  and  in  consequence  of  this  personal  union 
which  was  of  the  closest  and  most  indissolvable 
kind,  the  human  nature  must  have  been  possessed 
from  the  very  first  of  whatever  divinity  could  confer 
upon  it.  I  ask  then,  and  the  question  is  by  no  means 
impertinent,  or  out  of  place,  what  use  a  person  al- 
ready in  union  with  supreme  Deity  could  have  for 
the  effusion  and  communication  of  the  holy  Spirit? 
Was  not  God  the  Son,  equal  in  dignity  with  the 
eternal  Father,  sufficient  to  fill  the  human  nature  to 
which  he  had  united  himself,  with  wisdom,  know- 
ledge, and  every  grace  and  virtue,  as  also  to  impart 
to  it  the  power  of  working  miracles  ?  Could  the 
third  person  of  the  Trinity  confer  any  thing  that  the 
second  had  not  already  conferred  ?  Could  any  thing 
be  added  to  him  who  was  already  in  strict  personal 
union  with  Deity  ?  Impossible.  The  very  idea  is 
contradictory  and  absurd  ;  therefore  the  scheme  that 
supposes  and  labours  under  this  contradiction  is  in- 
admissible, and  equally  repugnant  to  Scripture  and 
reason. 

The  Arian  scheme  in  this  respect,  though  it  does 
not  offer  equal  violence  to  our  reasoning  faculties,  is 
yet,  I  apprehend,  attended  with  such  difficulties,  and 
accords  so  ill  with  the  plain  sense  of  Scripture  as  to 
warrant  its  rejection  also.  According  to  the  Arian 
Hypothesis,  the  first  of  all  created  beings,  the  divine 
Logos,  or  Word,  by  whom  all  things  were  made, 
descended  into  the  womb  of  a  virgin,  and  became 
the   animating,    rational   principle  in   the  body   of 


PROPER  HUMANIYT  OF  JESUS,    &C.  103 

Jesus.  Now  a  transcendent  spirit  of  such  high  pow- 
ers and  vast  natural  capacity  as  the  Arian  Logos  is 
represented  to  be,  must  be  supposed  naturally  capa- 
ble of  that  wisdom  and  knowledge  that  Jesus  pos- 
sessed, and  also  of  a  power  of  -working  all  the  mi- 
racles he  performed.  For  all  these  fall  much  short 
of  the  display  of  wisdom  and  power  manifested  in 
the  formation  of  the  world,  which  the  Arians  ascribe 
to  this  pre-existent  Spirit.  This  being  the  case,  the 
communication  of  the  divine  Spirit  to  such  a  person 
appears  to  me  not  at  all  a  natural  or  probable  thing, 
if  it  be  not  a  downright  inconsistency. 

If  it  shall  be  said,  that  the  original  powers  of  this 
great  Spirit  were  so  much  weakened  or  depressed  by 
his  incarnation  as  to  render  the  effusion  of  the  Spirit 
necessary,  I  answer,  that  this  supposition  is  quite  un- 
natural, and  a  multiplication  of  miracles  without  ne- 
cessity; for  surely  it  was  as  easy,  and  far  more  agree- 
able to  the  analogy  of  things,  to  preserve  such  a  part 
of  the  natural  powers  of  this  being  undiminished,  as 
might  be  necessary  for  the  office  in  which  he  was  to 
be  engaged,  than  to  render  him  capable  of  it  by  a 
new*  accession  of  power.  To  take  a  way  a  power 
naturally  sufficient  for  an  effect,  or  purpose,  and  to 
confer  a  new  one  by  supernatural  means,  is  an  incon- 
sistent supposition,  that  appears  to  me  to  carry  its  own 
confutation  along  with  it. 

Thus  we  see,  that  neither  the  Trinitarian  nor  Ari- 
an schemes  will  correspond  with  the  plain  doctrine  of 
the  Scripture  in  regard  to  the  communication  of  the 
Spirit  to  Jesus.  It  can  never  rest  solidly  or  consist- 
ently on  any  other  foundation,  than  that  of  the  real 
manhood  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  And  on  this 
footing  the  sacred  writers  expressly  place  it,  as  in  our 
next  Dissertation  will  still  more  fully  appear. 

How  beautiful,  how  simple,  and  consistent  is  truth; 
it  tallies  and  corresponds  with  itself,  and  exhibits  one 


104  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    &C. 

uniform  and  harmonious  system.  The  passages  we 
have  quoted,  and  other  similar  ones,  which  we  shall 
afterwards  have  occasion  to  consider,  will  never  cor- 
respond with,  or  be  consistently  explained  on  any 
other  scheme  than  that  of  the  proper  humanity  of 
our  Lord.  And  indeed,  I  have  long  thought,  that  the 
communication  of  the  divine  Spirit  to  Jesus  affords 
an  argument  that  carries  irresistible  weight  in  it,  and 
as  such  to  be  worthy  of  the  consideration  of  all  those 
who  wish  to  make  an  impartial  inquiry  into  religion. 

Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  in  the  name  of  the  man 
Jesus,  his  anointed  and  beloved  Son,  in  whom  he  is 
well  pleased.  Amen. 


DISSERTATION  VII. 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP, 
\ND  PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS, 

STATED  AND  VINDICATED. 

1   TIMOTHY  H.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

IN  our  sixth  Dissertation  we  proposed  additional  ar- 
guments for  the  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  from  the  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testament ; 
in  which  he  is  uniformly  represented  as  a  man,  the 
seed  of  the  woman,  a  descendant  of  Abraham,  a  pro- 
phet like  unto  Moses,  a  son  of,  or  of  the  seed  of  David, 
and  in  short  a  person  partaking  of  the  same  nature  as 
other  men  are. 

We  farther  enforced  this  doctrine  from  the  remark- 
able circumstance  of  the  communication  of  the  Spirit  to 
Jesus,  and  particularly  from  the  wonderful  descent 
of  the  holy  Ghost  upon  him  after  his  baptism,  as  re- 
corded by  all  the  Evangelists,  and  quoted  the  accounts 
given  by  Matthew  and  John  ;  when  he  was  solemnly 
consecrated,  sanctified  and  set  apart  to  his  office,  and 
in  every  respect  fullv  qualified  to  discharge  it.     We 

P 


106  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

showed  that  this  communication  of  the  holy  Spirit 
was  by  no  means  reconcileable  either  to  the  Trinitarian 
or  Arian  schemes.  For  if  Jesus  was  already  in  per- 
sonal Union  with  the  second  person  of  the  Trinity 
equal  in  dignity  with  the  first,  as  Trinitarians  say,  he 
could  never  stand  in  need  of  any  other  assistance  to 
fill  him  with  wisdom  or  enable  him  to  perform  mi- 
raculous works.  And  if  the  first  of  all  created  be- 
ings, the  divine  Locos  or  Word,  by  whom  all  things 
were  made,  had  descended  into  a  human  body  and 
become  the  animating  principle  of  it,  a  spirit  of  such 
transcendent  high  powers  and  vast  natural  capacity 
as  the  Arian  Logos  is  supposed  to  be,  must  be  con- 
ceived naturally  capable  of  that  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge that  Jesus  possessed,  and  also  of  a  power  of 
working  all  the  miracles  he  performed.  We  pursu- 
ed this  point  and  considered  it  under  different  views, 
and  the  result  was  that  the  communication  of  the  di- 
vine Spirit  to  such  a  person  was  not  a  natural  or  pro- 
bable thing,  if  not  a  downright  inconsistency.  From 
these  considerations  we  showed,  that  neither  the 
Trinitarian  nor  Arian  schemes  will  correspond  with 
the  plain  doctrine  of  the  Scripture  in  regard  to  the 
communication  of  the  Spirit  to  Jesus,  and  that  this 
doctrine  could  never  rest  solidly  or  consistently  on 
any  other  foundation  than  that  of  the  real  manhood 
of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  on  which  the  sacred  wri- 
ters expressly  place  it. 

This  is  an  argument  that  appears  to  me  to  have 
great  force  in  it,  and  to  deserve  a  very  serious  and 
attentive  consideration.  It  is  a  certain  fact,  an  indis- 
putable and  undeniable  truth,  that  all  the  supernatu- 
ral wisdom  that  Jesus  possessed  and  all  the  extraordi- 
nary miracles  he  performed,  were  owing,  and  are  ex- 
pressly ascribed  in  Scripture,  to  the  holy  Spirit. 

Our  Lord  himself  says,  Math.  xii.  28.  But  if  I 
cast  out  Demons  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  &c.    Luke 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  107 

has  the  following  words,  Acts  i.  1,  2.  The  former 
treatise  have  I  made,  0  Theophilus,  of  all  that  Jesus 
began  both  to  do  and  teach,  Until  the  day  in  which  he 
was  taken  up,  after  that  he  through  the  holy 
Ghost  had  given  commandments  unto  the  apostles  whom 
he  had  chosen  :  &c. 

I  shall  now  quote  a  passage  at  full  length  which 
will  not  only  establish  the  point  I  am  contending  for, 
but  at  the  same  time  give  us  a  clear  and  distinct  sum- 
mary of  all  that  is  important  and  fundamental  in 
Christianity.  The  Apostle  Peter  in  speaking  to  Cor- 
nelius the  devout  Centurion,  who  came  to  him  in 
consequence  of  a  supernatural  intimation  to  receive 
express  information  concerning  the  Gospel,  says  as 
follows.  Acts  x.  34  to  43.  Then  Peter  opened  his 
mouth,  and  said,  Of  a  truth  I  perceive  that  God  is  m 
respecter  of  persons  :  But  in  every  nation,  he  that  fear- 
eth  him,  and  worketh  righteousness,  is  accepted  with 
him.  The  word  which  God  sent  unto  the  children  of 
Israel,  preaching  peace  by  Jesus  Christ,  (he  is  Lord  of 
all,)  That  word,  I  say,  you  know,  which  was  publish- 
ed throughout  all  Judea,  and  began  from  Galilee,  af- 
ter the  baptism  which  John  preached:  How  God 
anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  holy 
Ghost,  and  with  power;  who  went  about  doing 
good,  and  healing  all  that  were  oppressed  of  the  devil : 
for  God  was  with  him.  And  we  are  witnesses  of 
all  things  which  he  did  both  in  the  land  of  the  Jews, 
and  in  Jerusalem  ;  whom  they  slew,  and  hanged  on  a 
tree :  Him  God  raised  up  the  third  day,  and  shewed 
him  openly,  Not  to  all  the  people,  but  unto  witnesses, 
chosen  before  of  God,  even  to  us  who  did  eat  and  drink 
with  him  after  he  rose  from  the  dead.*  And  he  com- 
manded us  to  preach  unto  the  people,  and  to  testify  that 
it  was  he  which  was  ordained  of  God  to  be  the  judge 
of  quick  and  dead.     To  him  give  all  the  prophets  wit* 

*  John  xxi.  12  to  15. 


108  THE   MESS1AHSHIP,    AND 

ncss,  that  through  his  ?iame,  whosoever  believeth  in  him, 
shall  receive  remission  of  sins. 

These  words  are  very  emphatical,  and  may  lead 
one  at  once  into  the  true  nature  and  character  of  our 
Lord.  They  evidently  shew,  that  the  power  that  Je- 
sus possessed  of  working  miracles  of  beneficence  and 
mercy  was  not  his  own  power,  was  not  a  qualifica- 
tion natural  to  him,  or  inherent  in  him,  but  a  divine 
gift  bestowed  upon  him,  a  power  descending  from 
on  high  and  an  effusion  from  God  himself,  similar 
in  kind,  but  much  higher  in  degree,  to  that  which 
ancient  prophets  possessed  and  was  afterwards  con- 
ferred on  the  apostles.  In  this  view  John  the  Bap- 
tist says,  John  iii.  34.  For  he  whom  God  hath  sent 
speaketh  the  words  of  God :  for  God  giveth  not  the 
Spirit  by  measure  unto  him.  Other  prophets  had  it 
in  inferior  degrees  and  in  smaller  proportions,  but 
Jesus  possessed  it  fully  and  permanently,  it  was  ever 
present  with  him,  and  accompanied  him  on  all  occa- 
sions. 

By  this,  he  spake  as  never  man  spake,  taught  with 
authority  and  power,  was  never  disconcerted  or  at 
loss  to  reply  even  when  the  most  ensnaring  and  cap- 
tious questions  were  put  to  him,  knew  when  to  be 
silent  and  when  to  speak,  and  sometimes  even  dis- 
covered a  knowledge  of  the  hearts  and  most  secret 
intentions  of  those  with  whom  he  conversed.  Other 
prophets  received  the  Spirit  by  degrees  and  according 
to  measure,  were  occasionally  inspired  and  some- 
times left  to  act  according  to  their  own  discretion; 
but  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  the  never  failing  pre- 
sence of  God  with  him  on  all  occasions,  guiding,  di- 
recting, and  conducting  him,  though  not  exempting 
him  from  the  common  and  innocent  infirmities  inci- 
dent to  human  nature. 

By  this  divine  afflatus  or  energy,  Jesus  not  only 
spoke  and  acted  but  performed  all  his  miracles;  by 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  109 

this  supernatural  power,  he  was  enabled  to  cure  the 
most  inveterate  diseases  that  had  baffled  all  the  reme- 
dies of  the  medical  art;  by  this  power,  he  walked 
on  the  sea,  stilled  the  winds,  fed  thousands  with  a 
few  loaves  and  fishes,  raised  the  dead,  and  perform- 
ed every  other  great  and  wonderful  action  that  is  re- 
corded of  him  during  his  public  life  and  ministry. 
And  in  the  number  and  variety  of  his  miracles,  he 
far  exceeded  any  other  prophet,  though  none  were 
ostentatious  or  unnecessary,  but  all  of  them  salutarv 
and  useful. 

It  is  to  this  divine  power  that  our  Lord  refers, 
when  it  is  recorded  of  him,  Luke  iv.  16  to  19.  And 
he  (Jesus)  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had  been  brought 
up,  and  as  his  custom  was  he  went  into  the  synagogue 
on  the  sabbath-day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read.  And 
there  was  delivered  to  him  the  book  of  the  prophet  Esa- 
ias  ;  and  when  he  had  opened  the  book  he  found  the 
place  where  it  was  written*  I  he  spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  poor:  he  hath  sent  me  to  had  the  broken-heart- 
ed, to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  recovering 
of  sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bound; 
to  preach  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 

To  the  same  power  he  appeals,  John  v.  30.  /  can 
of  mine  own  self  do  nothing  :  as  I  hear,  I  judge  :  and 
my  judgment  is  just ;  because  I  seek  not  mine  own  will ; 
but  the  will  of  the  Father  which  hath  sent  me.  Again 
ver.  36  of  the  same  chapter.  But  I  have  greater  wit- 
ness than  that  of  John  :  for  the  works  which  the  Father 
hath  given  me  to  finish,  the  same  works  that  I  do,  bear 
witness. of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  7iie.  Again, 
John  xiv.  9.  10.  the  following  remarkable  words  oc- 
cur. Jesus  saith  unto  him,  (unto  Philip)  have  I  been 
so  long  time  with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known  me, 
Philip  ?  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father  ; 
and  how  say  est  thou  then,  Shew  us  the  Father  ?  Believ- 

'  Isa.  lxi.  1,  2,  |     iSee  also  xlii   1  to  7. 


HO  THE   MESSiAHSHIP,    AND 

est  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in 
me  ?  The  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  1  speak  not  of 
myself:  but  the  Father,  that  divelleth  in  me,  he  doeth 
the  works. 

These  last  words  throw  light  upon  what  goes  be- 
fore, and  a  great  many  other  figurative  expressions 
occuring  in  Scripture,  which  have  been  sadly  mistaken 
by  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  oriental 
phraseology,  and  wrest  the  diction  of  the  sacred  wri- 
ters to  support  their  own  ill-founded  and  fanciful  no- 
tions. When  our  Lord  says  here,  He  that  hath  seen 
me  hath  seen  the  Father  :  Believest  thou  not  that  1  am 
in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?  and  in  John 
x.  30.  I  and  my  Father  are  one;  he  does  not  refer  to 
any  metaphysical  essence  or  nature,  to  any  union  of 
spiritual  or  co-equal  beings,  but  merely  to  those  ex- 
traordinary gifts  of  the  Spirit,  that  divine  afflatus  and 
energy  that  attended  him,  by  which  he  had  an  union 
with  the  Father,  and  was  continually  supported  by 
'him.  Ali  these  expressions  harmonize  with  the  doc- 
trine of  his  proper  humanity,  and  cannot  be  explain- 
ed consistently  or  properly  on  any  other  scheme.  But 
we  now  leave  this  subject  and  proceed  to  establish 
our  point  from  other  considerations. 

The  Evangelist  Luke,  in  describing  the  early  period 
of  our  Saviour's  life,  has  the  following  words.  Luke 
ii.  .52.  And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favour  with  God  and  man.  These  words  re- 
semble very  much  the  language  that  is  used  concern- 
ing the  prophet  Samuel.  ]  Sam.  ii.  26.  And  the 
child  Samuel  grew  on,  and  was  in  favour  both  with 
the  Lord,  and  also  with  men. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  natural  force  and  meaning 
of  the  words  of  Luke  respecting  our  Lord.  If  we 
do  so  without  prejudice,  and  attend  to  their  obvious 
sense,  I  apprehend,  we  can  form  no  other  conclu- 
sion, but  that  Jesus  was  born  into  the  world  as  others 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  Ill 

are,  and  grew  up  as  they  do;  his  understanding  ri- 
pening by  degrees  and  receiving  accessions  of  know- 
ledge according  as  he  advanced  in  age;  and  that  as 
he  was  of  a  most  excellent  disposition,  he  was  equal- 
ly in  favour  with  God,  and  had  the  good  will  ot 
mankind. 

Let  one  attempt,  if  he  can,  to  shape  or  modify  the 
words  of  Luke  into  a  consistency  either  with  the 
Trinitarian  or  Arian  schemes?  If  Jesus  was,  as  Trin- 
itarians affirm,  God  and  man  in  one  person,  if  the 
divinity  was  closely  and  inseparably  united  to  the  hu- 
manity, how  could  Jesus  be  said  to  have  increased  in 
wisdom  ?  As  a  divine  person  he  must  have  been  pos- 
sessed of  that  attribute  in  an  infinite  degree.  He 
must  have  known  from  the  very  first  all  that  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  know,  and  could  have  received 
no  increase  in  wisdom  from  his  intercourse  and  cor- 
respondence with  poor  feeble  mortals.  If  it  shall  be 
said,  that  the  divinity  gradually  revealed  and  man- 
ifested itself  to  the  humanity  as  it  grew  up:  I  an- 
swer, that  this  reply  will  not  serve  the  purpose;  for 
the  divinity  and  humanity  are  declared  to  be  one  per- 
son from  the  very  first,  and  as  such  the  human  under- 
standing must  have  been  a  partaker  of  the  divine 
wisdom  from  the  first  as  far  as  it  was  capable  of  it, 
or  we  shall  have  two  persons  instead  of  one,  which 
this  system  will  not  admit  of.  But  indeed,  the  idea 
of  a  personal  Union  between  Divinity  and  humanity 
is  so  gross  and  contradictory  that  it  cannot  be  adopt- 
ed, and  therefore  it  is  needless  to  reason  concerning 
an  impossibility. 

Let  us  next  see  how  the  words  of  Luke  will  tally 
with  the  Arian  scheme.  A  being  such  as  the  Arian. 
Logos  is  described  to  have  been,  existing  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  and  the  subordinate  operator 
in  its  formation,  must  be  supposed  to  have  been  pos- 
sessed of  transcendent  knowledge  and  capacity,  and 


112   "  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

consequently  it  can  never  be  conceived,  that  such  a 
being  could  receive  an  accession  to  his  wisdom,  or  be 
in  the  least  improved,  by  living  in  this  world,  or  hav- 
ing any  connection  with  its  inhabitants.  Thus  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Evangelist  Luke  is  in  full  contradiction 
to  both  these  systems ;  and  will  never  suit  with  any 
but  that  which  supposes  our  Lord  to  have  been  real- 
ly a  man  in  mind  as  well  as  in  body. 

An  ingenious  writer,  who  has  never  been  reckoned 
an  Unitarian,  has  the  candour  to  remark  on  these 
words  of  our  Evangelist  as  follows.  "  I  know  what 
"  subtile  comments  have  been  made  on  these  words  j 
"  but  it  is  plain  the  Evangelist  designs  to  inform  us 
"  that  Jesus  improved  in  mind  and  body  ;  and  to  give 
"  any  other  sense  of  that  passage,  is  not  to  interpret, 
"  but  to  contradict  Scripture."  This  is  the  language 
of  good  sense,  and  very  much  to  the  purpose. 

We  proceed  to  another  proof  of  the  proper  hu- 
manity of  Jesus,  and  that  drawn  from  the  tempta- 
tions he  underwent  whilst  he  lived  in  the  world,  and 
in  particular  that  singular  one,  that  ensued  immedi- 
ately after  his  baptism  and  the  effusion  of  the  holy 
Spirit,  which  is  recorded  by  the  three  Evangelists 
Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke.  That  our  Lord  was 
tempted  in  general,  we  learn  from  the  course  of  the 
evangelical  history,  and  from  that  expression,  Heb. 
ii.  18.  For  in  that  be  himself  hath  suffered,  being  tempt- 
ed, he  is  able  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted.  But  the 
temptation  I  mean  to  insist  on  immediately  is  that 
particular  one  before  referred  to,  of  which  we  have 
a  distinct  account. 

Matthew  informs  us,  iv.  1 ,  &c.  that  Jesus  soon  af- 
ter his  baptism,  was  led  up  of  the  spirit  into  the  wil- 
derness to  be  tempted  of  the  devil,  that  he  fasted  forty 
days  and  nights  and  afterwards  became  hungry,  that 
three  different  temptations  were  proposed  to  him,  the 
first  of  which  was  to  turn  the  stones  into  bread,  the 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C,  118 

second  to  throw  himself  from  a  pinnacle  or  wing  ol 
the  temple,  and  the  third  to  fall  down  and  worship 
Satan,  upon  the  offer  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world 
and  the  glory  of  them. 

It  has  been  disputed  by  learned  and  ingenious  men 
whether  this  temptation  was  real  or  visionary,  that  is 
to  say,  whether  the  scene  here  described,  really  hap- 
pened,  and  was  actually  transacted,  or  the  whole  was 
only  a  mysterious  trance  or  vision,  and  a  representa- 
tion suggested  to  the  mind  of  Jesus.  I  am  apt  to  join 
in  opinion  with  those  who  think  it  to  have  been  a  vi- 
sionary representation  suggested  by  the  divine  Being, 
in  order  to  strengthen  the  mind  of  our  Lord,  and 
prepare  him  for  the  trials  and  troubles  he  was  to  un- 
dergo in  the  course  of  his  ministry.  But  it  is  by  no 
means  my  intention  to  enter  into  any  discussion  of 
this  point  immediately,  as  it  would  be  foreign  to  the 
subject  I  have  in  hand,  which  is  not  to  explain  the 
nature  and  circumstances  of  this  temptation,  but 
merely  to  urge  it  as  an  argument  in  proof  of  the  pro- 
per humanity  of  Jesus.  This  temptation,  though  it 
should  be  supposed  to  have  been  visionary,  was  as 
real  to  Jesus,  as  great  a  trial  of  his  fidelity,  and  as 
proper  to  strengthen  and  invigorate  his  mind,  as  upon 
the  most  strict  and  literal  interpretation. 

I  shall  consider  each  of  the  temptations  proposed 
to  our  Lord,  and  examine  how  far  they  can  be  con- 
sidered as  trials  or  preparatory  exercises  on  the  Tri- 
nitarian and  Arian  systems,  and  then  point  out  briefly 
how  well  they  correspond  with  the  scheme  of  his 
proper  humanity. 

The  first  temptation  proposed  to  our  Lord  was  to 
turn  stones  into  bread  in  order  to  allay  his  excessive 
hunger.  Our  Lord  was  miraculously  supported,  and 
rendered  superior  to  the  ordinary  necessities  of  na- 
ture, during  his  fast  of  forty  days.  But  after  these 
days  were  expired,  the  sensation  of  hunger  returned. 

Q 


114  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

with  a  keenness,  we  may  suppose,  proportioned  to 
the  long  period  he  had  been  without  food.  This  was 
indeed  a  very  severe  trial  to  a  man  in  all  things  made 
like  unto  his  brethren;  and  who  was  in,  all  points  tempted 
like  as  we  are,  yet  without  sin;*  as  any  body  who  has 
ever  experienced  any  extraordinary  degree  of  want 
or  hunger  will  acknowledge.  But  I  am  at  a  loss  to 
conceive  how  hunger  could  be  any  temptation  to  God, 
or  how  one  hypostatically  united  to  him  could  be 
hungry.  Nor  can  I  conceive  on  the  Arian  scheme, 
how  the  first  of  all  created  beings,  who  framed  the 
earth  under  God  and  all  the  different  tribes  of  crea- 
tures, could  be  subjected  to  the  keen  sensation  of 
hunger.  A  Spirit  of  this  exalted  nature  must  have 
supported  the  human  body  to  which  he  was  united 
and  rendered  it  superior  to  the  ordinary  wants  of  na- 
ture: or  supposing  that  any  overuling  power  had 
prevented  such  a  spirit  from  exerting  his  capacity  in 
this  respect,  it  is  not  easy  to  discover  how  hunger 
could  affect  such  a  being  as  it  does  a  man. 

Again,  with  respect  to  the  second  temptation  offer- 
ed to  our  Lord,  viz.  to  prove  himself  to  be  the  Mes- 
siah or  Son  of  God,  by  throwing  himself  down  from 
a  pinnacle  or  wing  of  the  temple;  I  am  as  little  able 
to  find  out  how  God,  or  a  man  in  personal  Union 
with  him,  could  be  liable  to  an  affectation  of  this 
kind:  or  how  such  a  proposal  could  make  any  im- 
pression on  the  first  of  all  created  beings.  Could  be- 
ino-s  of  such  a  nature  be  supposed  susceptible  of  va- 
nity, or  a  ridiculous  ostentation  of  displaying  them- 
selves and  their  extraordinary  powers,  and  of  laying 
claim  to  a  distinguished  character  in  the  sight  of  weak 
mortals  ? 

As  to  the  third  and  last  temptation,  the  offer  and 
gift  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  their  glory. 

*Heb.  ii.  17.  iv.  15 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,   &C.  115 

This  must  be  owned  to  be  a  very  strong  and  power- 
ful temptation  to  a  man  prompted  either  by  ambition 
or  avarice:  but  that  it  should  be  any  to  a  God-man, 
or  to  the  first  and  most  excellent  of  all  creatures,  I 
cannot  conceive.  Could  the  God  who  made  the 
world,  or  a  man  in  personal  union  with  him,  and  up- 
held by  him,  be  tempted  to  disgrace  himself  and  vi- 
lify and  degrade  his  own  character  to  an  inexpressi- 
ble degree  by  the  offer  of  a  small  part  of  his  own 
creation,  which  by  the  bye  was  his  own  already  ? 
Or  could  the  first  of  all  created  beings  be  tempted 
by  the  gift  of  that  world  which  he  himself  was  the  in- 
strument in  making,  and  which  he  must  have  known 
Satan  could  not  in  fact  bestow,  whatever  he  might 
falsely  promise  ? 

How  strange  and  unaccountable  do  the  three 
parts  of  this  temptation  appear  on  the  Trinitarian, 
and  even  on  the  Arian  scheme!  But  it  is  quite  other- 
wise on  the  scheme  of  the  proper  humanity  of  our 
Lord. 

1.  Excessive  hunger  was  a  real  temptation  to  a 
man  made  as  other  men  are.  Esau  was  unable  to  with- 
stand a  temptation  of  this  kind ;  and  for  one  morsel  of 
meat  sold  his  birth-right*  But  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
showed  his  superior  virtue  by  resisting  the  pinching 
calls  of  nature,  and  refusing  to  satisfy  his  hunger  till 
it  was  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God  to  gratify  his  in- 
clination. 

2.  In  like  manner,  to  make  an  ostentatious  display 
of  miraculous  powers  was  also  a  considerable  temp- 
tation  to  a  man;  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  showed 
his  amiable  modesty  and  diffidence  by  declining  it. 

3.  The  offer  of  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and 
their  glory,  was  a  temptation  of  a  very  alluring  na- 
ture to  a  man,  and  calculated  to  inflame  the  mind  and 

Gen.  xxv.  29  to  34.  Heb  xii.  16 


lib  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    &C. 

inspire  it  with  ambitious  desires.  What  crimes,  what 
cruelties,  what  detestable  frauds,  will  men  be  guilty 
of  and  perpetrate  for  the  possession  of  a  single  king- 
dom, or  province ;  but  our  Lord,  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  rejected  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  put  to- 
gether in  their  full  glory  and  splendour,  and  would 
not  commit  one  base  and  impious  action  in  order  to 
acquire  them! 

To  Jehovah  the  most  high  God,  the  possessor 
of  heaven  and  earth,  be  ascribed  glory  and  praise  in 
the  Messiah's  name.  Amen. 


DISSERTATION  V1I1. 

THE  MESSIAHSHIP, 

AND  PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS, 

STATED  AND  VINDICATED. 

1  Timothy  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

IN  three  preceding  Dissertations  we  pursued  our 
proof  of  the  strict  and  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  from  a  variety  of  conclusive  arguments 
and  striking  considerations.  We  propose  at  present 
farther  to  illustrate  the  same  subject,  by  exhibiting 
different  incidents  and  occurrences  in  the  life  of  Jesus, 
with  some  select  passages  of  Scripture;  and  drawing 
what  appears  to  us  natural  and  obvious  inferences 
from  them. 

It  is  well  known,  that  John  the  baptist,  who  was 
sent  on  purpose  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  ministry 
of  Jesus,  or  the  way  of  Jehovah  by  him,  never  repre- 
sents Jesus  as  God,  or  in  any  respect  equal  with  God, 
or  as  a  great,  distinguished  pre-existent  Spirit ;  but  as 
one  mightier  and  far  superior  to  himself  and  all  for- 


118  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,  AND 

mer  prophets,  as  one  who  came  from  above,  or  had  his 
commission  immediately  from  heaven,  to  whom  God 
had  not  imparted  theSpirit  by  measure*  and  who  should 
baptize  with  the  holy  Ghost,  and  with  fire.] 

We  have  already  taken  notice  of  the  baptism  of 
Jesus,  and  of  his  consecration  and  solemn  inaugura- 
tion to  the  office  of  the  Messiahship,  and  the  follow- 
ing trial  or  temptation.  We  find  him,  soon  afterwards, 
appearing  in  the  character  of  a  prophet  and  public 
teacher,  and  as  such  working  the  most  astonishing 
miracles,  and  teaching  and  instructing  his  auditors 
with  great  wisdom,  dignity,  and  authority.  But  nei- 
ther that  wisdom,  that  power,  and  authority  were  his 
own,  as  he  was  always  ready  to  acknowledge.  John 
viii.  26  to  29. — he  that  sent  me  is  true  ;  and  I  speak  to 
the  world  those  things  which  I  have  heard  of  him.  They 
understood  not  that  he  spake  to  them  of  the  Father. 
Then  said  Jesus  unto  them,  When  ye  have  lift  up  the 
Son  of  man,  then  shall  ye  know  that  I  am  he,  (that  is,  I 
am  the  Messiah  or  the  Christ,  or  a  man  anointed  by 
the  divine  Spirit)  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself ;  but 
as  my  Father  hath  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.  And 
he  that  sent  me  is  with  me:  the  Father  hath  not  left  me 
alone ;  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please  him. 
This  is  one  distinguished  testimony  from  the  lips  of 
Jesus  himself,  among  many  others,  some  of  which  we 
have  had  occasion  to  quote  before;  that  his  divine 
wisdom  and  powers  were  the  Father's  gift,  and  ex- 
ercised by  him  solely  to  promote  his  glory,  and  to  au- 
thenticate his  own  mission  from  him:  and  conse- 
quently these  words  are  a  proof  of  his  real  hu- 
manity. 

He  frequently  styles  God  his  Father  and  himself 
his  son;  but  this  appellation  can  never  be  used  to  im- 

*  John  in.  31  to  34.  -f  Math   in.  H. 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  119 

pugn  the  doctrine  of  his  proper  manhood,  because, 
as  we  have  before  shown,  this  title  is  expressly 
grounded  upon,  or  connected  with  circumstances  re- 
lative to  his  humanity.  Besides,  how  often,  in  his  ce- 
lebrated sermon  on  the  mount,  and  on  other  occa- 
sions, does  he  style  God  the  common  Father  of  all 
mankind.  Tour  heavenly  Father  is  a  term  that  occurs 
frequently  in  that  discourse,  and  he  commands  his 
disciples  to  pray  to  God  under  the  character  of  their 
common  Father.  Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven,  &c. 
But  the  most  striking  passage  of  this  kind  is  that 
which  John  has  recorded  in  his  Gospel,  chap.  xx.  1  ?., 
when  Jesus  says  to  Mary  Magdalene, — go  to  my  breth- 
ren and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father,  and 
your  Father,  and  to  my  God  and  your  God.  These  are 
words  remarkably  significant  and  emphatical.  He 
styles  his  disciples  his  brethren,  because  they  partook 
of  the  same  nature  with  himself,  and  he  was  a  real 
man,  not  a  man  in  appearance  or  disguise,  as  well  as 
they  were.  He  calls  God  his  Father  and  their  Father, 
his  God  and  their  God;  thereby  evincing  that  he  de- 
rived his  being  from  the  same  origin  and  source  as 
they  did ; — from  the  benignity  of  the  Supreme  God 
and  universal  parent  of  all  nature. 

Another  proof  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus 
may  be  derived  from  his  having  been  so  frequently 
and  earnestly  engaged  in  prayer.  We  find  instances 
of  this  recorded  by  the  Evangelists,*  and  a  particular 
specimen  given  by  John,  chap.  xvii.  This  is  decisive 
against  the  Trinitarian  notion  of  his  proper  Deity  • 
for  one  in  personal  Union  with  God  cannot  be  sup! 
posed  to  have  occasion  to  pray  to  him;  and  it  is  not 
very  compatible  with  the  Arian  Hypothesis.  For 
though  I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  affirm,  that  prayer 
might  not  be  necessary,  or  be  a  duty,  even  to  so  ex- 

'  Math   xiv.  2.5.  Luke  vi.  \%  ix.  18,-28   29   -  '..  1 


120  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,  AND 

alted  a  being  as  the  Arians  describe  their  Logos  to  be, 
yet  the  way  and  manner  in  which  Christ  prayed 
agrees  best  with  the  notion  of  his  proper  humanity. 
Particularly,  these  words  of  the  author  of  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews,  chap.  v.  7.  Who  in  the  days  of  his 
flesh,  when  he  had  offered  up  prayers  and  supplications , 
with  strong  crying  and  tears,  unto  him  that  was  able  to 
save  him  from  death,  and  was  heard,  in  that  he  feared; 
zffc.  This  affecting  description  offers  to  our  concep- 
tions nothing  else,  but  the  idea  of  a  pious,  worthy,  hu- 
man character  under  great  perturbation  and  distress, 
pouring  forth  the  feelings  of  a  deeply  affected  mind 
in  devout  supplications  to  the  great  hearer  of  prayer, 
and  obtaining  his  requests. 

In  Matthew's  Gospel,  xvi.  13.  our  Lord  puts  the 
following  interesting  question  to  his  disciples. — Whom 
do  men  say,  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  ?  Attend  to  this 
query,  it  is  an  important  one;  and  it  is  observable, 
that  at  the  same  time  that  our  Lord  asks  a  solution 
of  it,  he  styles  himself  the  Son  of  man.  As  if  he  had 
said  in  other  words;  "  You  all  know,  that  I  Jesus  am 
a  man,  of  the  same  nature  and  species  with  yourselves. 
As  such  I  have  always  appeared  among  you,  and  ne- 
ver laid  claim  to  any  other  character;  but  as  to  my 
office  or  designation,  what  is  the  opinion  of  those 
among  whom  you  are  conversant  and  whose  senti- 
ments you  have  had  occasion  to  hear  ?"  ver.  14.  And 
they  said,  Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the  Baptist, 
some  Elias,  and  others  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets. 
From  this  answer  of  the  disciples,  it  appears,  that  our 
Lord  at  this  time  occasioned  much  speculation  among 
the  Jews,  and  that  they  were  divided  in  opinion  con- 
cerning him;  some  imagining  him  to  be  one  or  other 
of  their  former  ancient  prophets  come  back  again,  and 
others,  John  the  baptist  risen  from  the  dead.  But 
among  all  this  difference  of  opinion,  they  never  de- 
parted from  the  idea  of  a  human  character,  none 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  121 

supposed  him  to  be  God;  or  a  pre-existent  super-an- 
gelic Spirit.  But  our  Lord  brings  the  question  home 
to  the  disciples  themselves,  ver.  15,  16,  17.—- But 
whom  say  ye  that  I  am.  And  Simon  Peter  answered, 
and  said,  Thou  art  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.* 
And  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Blessed  art  thou 
Simon  Bar-Jona  :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it 
unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

Let  us  attentively  consider  the  force,  and  ascertain 
the  meaning  of  Peter's  answer  to  our  Lord's  inquiry, 
which  we  find  was  a  just  and  true  answer,  and  re- 
ceived the  fullest  approbation  from  our  Lord  himself. 
It  may  lead  us  into  the  true  notion  of  our  Lord's  per- 
son and  character.  Peter  certainly  understood  at  this 
time  the  true  character  of  his  Master,  or  Jesus  would 
not  have  applauded  him  so  much  for  his  reply,  or 
ascribed  his  knowledge  and  declaration  to  divine  re- 
velation. Now  observe,  that  Peter  though  inspired  on 
this  occasion,  and  called  upon  to  give  a  precise  defi- 
nition of  his  Master,  according   to  the  best  of  his 
knowledge  and  information,  does  not  say  that  his 
Master  was  God,  or  equal  with  God,  or  that  he  was 
the  first  of  all  created  beings  who  had  come  down 
from  heaven  to  animate  a  human  body;  but  simply 
asserts,  that  he  was  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God. 
Words  which,  when  scrutinized  and  examined  ac- 
cording to  the  strictest  rules  of  fair  criticism,  can  im- 
ply nothing  more  than,  yea,  I  may  add  can  only  neces- 
sarily signify  "  a  man  anointed  with  the  divine  Spirit," 
whom  the  Father  had  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world:] 
for  the  word  Christ,  has  this  precise  meaning;  and  the 
term  the  Son  of  the  living  God  is  equivalent  to  it,  or  ex- 
planatory of  it.    That  this  was  the  exact  meaning  of 
Peter  is  evident,  from  his  afterwards  styling  our  Lord 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  Acts  ii.  22.  Jesus  of  Naza- 

*  Mark  viii.  29.  Luke  ix.  20.  John  \ ';.  67  to  69.     f  John  x.  36 

R 


122  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

ret j,  a  man  approved  of  God,  tffc.  and  in  Acts  x.  3S. 
saying,  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  holy 
Ghost,  and  with  power ;  £sV.  passages  which  we  have 
quoted  before,  and  may  be  considered  as  a  comment 
upon  Peter's  concise  declaration.  To  the  same  pur- 
pose John  says  towards  the  conclusion  of  his  Gospel, 
chap.  xx.  3 1 .  But  these  (signs)  are  written,  that  ye  might 
believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God, 
Ssfc.  Paul  affirms,  1  Cor.  iii.  1 1 .  For  other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  the 
Christ.  And  our  Lord  says  to  Peter  in  consequence 
of  his  declaration  concerning  him,  ver.  1 8. — upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  church;  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it :  and  in  the  sequel  of  his  dis- 
course, ver.  20.  it  is  added,  Then  charged  he  his  disci- 
ples, that  they  should  tell  no  man  that  he  was  Jesus  the 
Christ. 

From  the  obvious  meaning  of  all  these  passages 
put  together,  taken  in  connection,  and  properly  inter- 
preted, some  very  important  consequences  will  fol- 
low. 

1.  That  the  terms,  the  Messiah  or  the  Christ  and 
the  Son  of  God,  are  equivalent,  of  the  same  signification, 
and  imply  each  other.  This  may  be  still  farther  con- 
firmed by  the  words  of  Martha  to  Jesus,  John  xi.  27. 
— /  believe  that  thou  art  the  Christ  the  son  of 
God,  which  should  come  into  the  world :  and  by  the 
two  following  passages  in  John's  first  Epistle,  v.  1, 
— 5.  Whosoever  believeth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is 
born  of  God:  &c. — Who  is  he  that  overcometh  the  world, 
but  he  that  believeth  that  Jesusis  the  Sonof  God? 

2.  That  a  belief  in  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus 
is  implied  in  the  assertion  and  declaration  of  his  be- 
ing the  Messiah  or  Son  of  God.  This  appears  plain 
from  the  very  meaning  of  the  word  Christ,  which 
signifies  an  anointed  man,  and  from  Peter's  declarations 
on  two  different  occasions. 

3.  That  this  is  a  fundamental  article  of  Christi- 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  123 

unity,  a  rock  upon  which  Christ  builds  his  church,  a  foun- 
dation than  which  another  cannot  be  laid,  and  the  very 
end  or  design  for  which  John  wrote  his  Gospel. 

Here  then,  the  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  is  established  upon  a  solid  basis,  and  made  a 
corner  stone  or  inseparable  part  of  Christianity,  by  the 
united  and  concurring  testimony  of  these  three  cele- 
brated Apostles,  Peter,  John  and  Paul;  and  the  whole 
corroborated  by  the  authority  of  their  great  Master 
our  Lord  himself. 

Our  Lord's  refusing  the  title  of  Good  Master,  and 
declaring  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God*  his  saying, 
for  my  Father  is  greater  than  I.\ — But  of  that  day  and 
that  hour  knoweth  no  -man,  (Ox.  none)  no  not  the  angels 
which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father: 
or  but  my  Father  only.\  and  to  sit  on  my  right-hand, 
and  on  my  left,  is  not  mine to  give  ;\\  &c.  are  expressions 
decisive  against  proper  Deity  being  ascribed  to  him ; 
and  if  they  do  not  necessarily  imply  his  proper  hu- 
manity, they  at  least  accord  with  that  system  very 
well. 

But  we  proceed  to  take  a  view  of  a  very  affecting 
scene,  which  it  will  be  very  difficult,  if  not  absolutely 
impossible,  to  account  for  on  any  other  principle  than 
that  of  the  strict  and  proper  humanity  of  Jesus.  The 
scene  I  allude  to  is  the  dismal  agony  and  melancholy 
apprehensions  he  experienced  in  the  Garden  of  Geth- 
semane,  immediately  before  his  apprehension,  trial, 
and  consequent  sufferings.  Of  this  agony  three  evan- 
gelists have  given  a  particular  account;  and  they  all 
make  use  of  expressions  intimating,  that  his  distress 
and  depression  of  mind  were  very  great.  Mathew5 
xx vi.  38.,  describes  him  as  saying,  My  soul  is  exceed- 
ing sorrowful,  even  unto  death.  Mark  says,  xiv.  33, 
He  began  to  be  sore  amazed,  and  to  be  very  heavy  ;  and 

*  Math.  xix.  1~   t  J'li,ri  xiv-  2S-  *  Mark  xiii.  S2 
Math.  xxiv.  35.  ||  Math.  xx.  38. 


124  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

Luke  mentions,  xxii.  44.  And,  being  in  an  agony,  he 
prayed  more  earnestly:  and  bis  sweat  was  as  it  were 
great  drops  of  blood  falling  down  to  the  ground.  All  of 
these  Evangelists  take  notice  of  his  praying,  that  if  it 
were  possible  this  hour  or  cup  might  pass  from  him;  but 
submitting  at  the  same  time  to  the  will  of  his  heaven- 
ly Father:  and  Mathew  mentions  that  this  prayer  was 
repeated  thrice. 

Now,  how  is  it  possible,  to  account  for  our  Lord's 
apprehensions  in  the  view  of  his  approaching  suffer- 
ings, on  any  other  footing  than  that  of  his  being  a 
man?  I  doubt  not  but  other  causes  might  contribute 
to  his  agony  besides  a  concern  for  his  own  personal 
sufferings ;— the  obstinacy  of  his  countrymen  in  reject- 
ing the  evidence  of  his  miracles,  their  hard  hearted- 
ness  in  withstanding  his  animated  instructions,  and 
faithful  warnings,  their  baseness  and  ingratitude  in 
forgetting  his  acts  of  kindness  and  benevolence  and 
returning  him  evil  for  good,  and  the  dreadful  calami- 
ties he  foresaw  would  soon  come  upon  them  in  con- 
sequence of  their  rejecting  him  as  their  promised 
Messiah.  All  these  reflections  might  make  a  deep  im- 
pression on  his  tender  and  feeling  mind.  For  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  does  not  appear  to  have  possessed 
a  stoical  apathy,  or  want  of  feeling ;  but  to  have  pos- 
sessed all  the  innocent  tenderness  and  delicate  sensi- 
bility belonging  to  a  mind  rightly  constituted. 

This  appears  from  his  weeping  over  Jerusalem*,  and 
expressing  how  often  he  would  have  gathered  its  in- 
habitants if  they  would  have  attended  to  his  call  ;f 
and  also  from  his  saying  to  those  women  who  at» 
tended  him,  when  he  was  led  out  to  crucifixion,  be- 
'wailing  his  fate ;  Daughters  of  Jerusalem  weep  not  for 
me,  but  weep  for  yourselves,  and  for  your  children : 
and  what  follows.! 

But  though  there  was  a  great  mixture  of  these 
benevolent  sympathies  in  the  distress  which  our  ami- 

*  Luke  six,  41.     f  Math   \^;i;  3?         Luke  xx.  27  to  31 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  125 

able  Master  endured  on  this  occasion,  yet  still  these 
are  only  suitable  in  the  degree  he  experienced  them 
to  a  human  character, — to  one  endowed  with  the 
general  sensations  and  compassionate  tenderness  that 
prevail  in  human  nature.  We  cannot  suppose  that 
a  being  in  personal  Union  with  the  Deity  could  have 
been  affected  in  this  manner,  nor  that  the  first  of  all 
created  beings,  who  had  existed  for  thousands  of 
years,  and  even  before  the  world,  could  have  been 
so  intensely  agitated  by  a  mournful  and  deplorable 
prospect  of  this  kind.  Such  a  being  from  the  natu- 
ral vigour  of  his  superior  understanding  and  exalted 
capacity,  from  long  observation,  from  a  comparison 
of  past  events  and  an  anticipation  of  future  ones, 
must  have  acquired  a  comprehension  of  mind,  a  fix- 
edness and  stability  of  thought,  that  no  concurrence 
of  present  circumstances  on  our  earthly  globe  could 
have  divested  him  of,  or  shaken  and  perplexed  his 
mind  in  so  violent  a  degree. 

And  this  observation  will  derive  more  force  from 
a  circumstance  which  Luke  mentions,  that  we  have 
not  yet  taken  notice  of,  chap.  xxii.  43.  And  there 
appeared  an  angel  unto  him  from  heaven^  strengthening 
him.  Our  blessed  Lord  appears  to  have  been  in  the 
height  of  his  agony  and  distress  and  almost  overpow- 
ed,  when  this  heavenly  messenger  came  to  his  assist- 
ance. To  be  sure,  he  would  not  have  come,  if  his 
presence  had  not  been  necessary;  and  if  the  sad  con- 
flict in  which  Jesus  was  engaged  had  not  been  too 
hard  for  his  frame  to  support,  unassisted.  I  appre- 
hend therefore,  that  the  coming  of  this  angel  for 
the  comfort  and  relief  of  Jesus  in  these  circumstan- 
ces, is  a  consideration  sufficiently  strong  to  ovei 
throw  both  the  Trinitarian  and  Arian  systems.  For, 
could  our  Lord  in  personal  Union  with  Deity  need 
the  assistance  of  any  created  angel  ?  Or,  could  an  an- 
gel be  supposed  to  strengthen  or  relieve  the  fir 
all  created  beings,  far  superior  to  all  Angels,  and 


12(5  THE  MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

even  the  subordinate  creator  of  Angels  themselves  r 
Upon  the  whole,  the  circumstances  of  our  Lord's 
agony  in  the  Garden  are  only  competent  to  a  man, 
and  a  person  of  tender  sensibility.  It  is  natural  and 
proper  to  a  man,  even  the  most  virtuous  and  holy, 
to  view  a  painful,  lingering  and  shameful  death  with 
apprehension.  It  is  natural  to  a  man,  to  be  anxious- 
ly impressed  for  his  country,  and  to  be  deeply  af- 
fected with  any  great  calamity  he  knows,  for  cer- 
tain, will  come  upon  it.  But  such  views,  for  the 
reasons  before  assigned,  can  never  be  supposed  to 
affect  a  transcendently  superior  mind  in  the  manner 
they  did  our  Lord. 

Having  viewed  our  Lord  under  the  pressure  of 
his  painful  agony  in  the  Garden,  if  we  trace  him 
through  the  whole  train  of  his  appearances  before 
the  Jewish  Council,  Herod,  and  Pilate,  and  his  suf- 
ferings on  the  cross;  we  shall  find  that  he  maintain- 
ed his  character  as  the  anointed  prophet  of  the  LORD, 
with  great  dignity  and  propriety ;  but  still  there  is 
nothing  in  the  whole  course  of  his  procedure,  that 
indicates  any  thing  more  than  a  human  being  of  the 
greatest  excellence  and  worth,  suffering  patiently, 
magnanimously,  and  forgivingly,  under  an  unjust 
and  iniquitous  sentence. 

And  indeed,  in  the  whole  series  of  our  Lord's  life, 
though  his  character  was  in  the  highest  degree  exem- 
plary, his  conduct  judicious,  his  words  pertinent  and 
well  chosen,  and  the  most  diffusive  and  fervent  be- 
nevolence ever  accompanied  him;  yet  abstracting 
from  the  divine  powers  with  which  he  was  endowed, 
there  appears  (if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression) 
something  innocently  human  about  him,  which  disco- 
vers him  plainly  to  have  been  a  partaker  of  the  same 
nature  with  ourselves.  He  was  susceptible  of  all  the 
sinless  infirmities,  passions,  and  affections  of  human 
nature.     He  sympathized  with  the  distresses  of  his 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,    &C.  127 

friends, — witness  the  generous  tears  he  shed  over 
Lazarus  in  concert  with  his  sister  Mary,  and  others.* 
He  was  at  times  impressed  with  just  indignation  when 
he  discovered  unworthy  views  and  intentions,  or  had 
detected  the  base,  insidious  designs  of  hypocrites 
and  formal  professors, — witness  the  woes  he  pro- 
nounced on  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.!  He  was  some 
times  affected  with  melancholy  and  mournful  im- 
pressions,! and  at  other  times  rejoiced  in  spirit,  and 
felt  his  mind  elevated  by  bright  and  cheerful  pros 
pects.j|  I  need  not  add  that  he  experienced  hunger, 
thirst,  fatigue,  bodily  weariness,  and  other  frailties  in- 
cident to  human  nature.  These  things  are  obvious 
to  every  one  who  peruses  the  Gospels.  And  what 
inference  shall  we  draw  from  all  these  particulars ; 
but  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  a  true  and  real  man,  bone 
of  our  bone,  and  flesh  of  our  flesh. 

The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  appears 
to  have  had  the  same  ideas  concerning  him,  chap, 
ii.  10,  11,  12, — 14, — 16,  17,  18.  For  it  became 
him,  for  whom  are  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all 
things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the 
captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through  sufferings. 
For  both  he  that  sanctijieth,  and  they  who  are  sanctifi- 
ed, are  all  of  one  ;  for  which  cause  he  is  not  ashamed 
to  call  them  brethren,  saying,  I  will  declare  thy  name 
unto  my  brethren,  in  the  midst  of  the  church  will  I  sing 
praise  unto  thee. — Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are 
partakers  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise 
took  part  of  the  same. — For  verily  he  took  not  hold  of 
aiigels ;  but  he  took  hold  of  the  seed  of  Abraham. 
Wherefore  in  all  things  it  behoved  him  to  be  made  like 
unto  his  brethren ;  that  he  might  be  a  merciful  and 
faithful  high  priest,  in  things  pertaining  to  God,  to 
make  reconciliation  for  the  sins  of  the  people.     For  in 

*  John  ii.  32  to  jfi.     f  Math,  xxiii.  13,  he.     i   Math.  ix.  36- 
V  Luke  s.  21. 


128  THE    MESSIAHSHIP,    AND 

that  he  himself  hath    suffered,  being  tempted,  he    is 
able  to  succour  them  that  are  tempted. 

With  respect  to  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  that 
can  only  be  satisfactorily  accounted  for  in  the  way 
it  is  mentioned  in  Scripture  on  the  system  of  his 
real  humanity,  as  well  as  his  exaltation.  If  Jesus 
had  been  in  personal  Union  with  God  or  a  trans- 
cendent superangelic  being,  why  should  his  having 
been  raised  from  the  dead  be  perpetually  ascribed  in 
Scripture,  as  it  undoubtedly  is,  to  the  Father,  and 
represented  as  a  mighty  effort  of  his  power?*     The 

*  Some  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  passages  in  which  Jesus  our 
Lord  is  said  to  have  been  raised  from  the  deadhy  God,  or  the  Father, 
are  the  Following.  Acts  ii.  24,— 32.  iii.  26.  xiii.  32  to  34,-37.  Rom. 
vi.  4.  x.  y.  Gal.  i.  1.  Epff.  i.  19,  20.  Col.  ii.  12.  1  Thiss.  i.  9,  10. 
Heb  xiii.  20.     1  Pet.  i.  21. 

Our  Lord  himself  says,  John  ii.  19, — 21. —  Destroy  this  temple,  and 
in  three  days  1  will  raise  it  up. — He  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  But 
he  does  not  mean  to  intimate  any  agency  of  his  own  in  his  resurrection. 
Tins  is  evident  from  another  passage.  John  x.  17,  18.  Therefore  doth 
my  Father  love  me,  because  I  lay  down  my  life,  that  I  might  take  it  agair,. 
2?o  ma>i  taketh  it  from  me,  out  I  lay  it  doitm  of  myself:  I  have  power  to 
lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again.  This  commandment  have 
1  icceived  of  my  Father- 

Our  Lord  knew  from  the  Father's  commandment,  or  promise,  that 
liis  irresistible  power  would  be  employed  in  effecting  his  resurrection  ; 
and  therefore  speaks  of  it  as  a  thing  in  his  own  power,  because-  be 
was  assured  it  would  certainly  take  place  on  the  third  day  after  his 
death.  Math.  xvi.  21  From  that  time  forth  began  Jesus  to  shew  unto- 
his  disciples,  how  that  he  must  go  unto  Jerusalem,  and  suffer  many  things 
of  the  el.Ieis,  and  chief  priests,  and  scribes,  and  be  killed,  and  be  rais- 
ed again  the  third  day.  Luke  ix.  22  The  Son  of  man  must  suffer 
many  things,  and  be  rejected  of  the  elders,  and  chief  priests,  and  scribes, 
and  be  slam,  end  be  raised  the  third  day.  In  the  parallel  place  in 
Mark  x.  34,  the  words  are, — and  the  third  day  he  shall  rise  again.  But 
this  expression,  or  any  similar  ones,  that  may  be  elsewhere  found,  are 
of  no  force  lo  prove  that  Jesus  was  in  any  respect  actively  concerned 
in  his  own  resurrection,  since  we  find  the  same  language  used  con- 
cerning the  dead  in  general,  and  the  Saints.  1  Cor.  xv.  16,  17-  For 
if  the  dead  imse  not,  then  is  not  Christ  raised :  And  if  Christ  be  not  rais- 
ed, your  faith  is  vain  ,■  ye  are  \et  in  your  sins.    1  Thess.  iv.  16. and  the 

dead  in  Christ  SHAti  risk  first. 

When  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  about  to  die,  he  said,  (Luke 
xxiii.  46.)  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit :  and  it  is  per- 
fectly clear  from  the  whole  evidence  of  Scripture,  that  it  was  the 
•working  of  the  Father's  mighty  pmver,  which  relieved  him  from  the  do- 
minion rf  death,  and  restored  him  again  to  a  new,  glorious  and  immor- 
tal life. 


PROPER  HUMANITY  OF  JESUS,  &C.  129 

supposed  divine  nature  of  Jesus  was  certainly  the 
only  proper  agent  to  raise  the  human  part;  and  the 
first  of  all  creatures,  who  was  himself  upon  the  Arian 
scheme  a  subordinate  creator,  might  be  supposed  a 
very  fit  agent  to  reanimate  his  own  body. 

Again,  with  respect  to  our  Lord's  exaltation.  How 
could  a  being  already  in  personal  Union  with  God 
be  exalted,  or  the  first  and  most  excellent  of  all  cre- 
ated beings  be  made  higher  than  he  was  before  ?  But 
on  the  scheme  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Jesus  every 
thing  appears  regular  and  consistent,  and  the  mind 
acquiesces  with  entire  satisfaction  in  a  system  sup- 
ported by  the  clearest  and  fullest  evidence  from 
Scripture,  and  perfectly  consonant  to  reason. 

If  we  examine  this  scheme  in  a  practical  view  it 
will  be  found  to  be  attended  with  excellent  effects. 
When  we  see  Jesus,  a  partaker  of  the  same  nature 
with  ourselves,  raised  from  the  dead  to  a  glorious 
immortality,  we  have  a  permanent  proof  of  a  future 
state  and  also  a  certainty  of  our  own  resurrection, 
and  are  encouraged  to  hope,  that  because  he  lives ,  we 
shall  live  also* 

When  we  see  Jesus,  subjected  to  all  the  innocent 
infirmities  of  human  nature  as  well  as  ourselves,  con- 
flicting with  trials  and  temptations,  hardships  and 
difficulties;  and  surmounting  them  all  by  ardent  faith, 
dependence  on  God,  fervent  prayer,  holy  diligence, 
and  exemplary  perseverance,  we  are  stimulated  to  be 
active  in  our  turn,  and  by  the  use  of  the  same  means 
to  follow  out  the  path  marked  out  to  us  by  the  great 
captain  of  our  salvation. 

On  the  Trinitarian  and  Arian  schemes,  the  motive 
from  example  does  not  operate  with  near  so  much 
force  and  efficacy.  That  a  man  in  personal  Union 
with  God  should  surmount  trials  and  difficulties  does 

John  xiv.  19. 

s 


130  THE   MESSIAHSHIP,  AND  &C. 

riot  appear  wonderful,  or  that  the  first  of  all  created 
beings  should  do  the  same.  In  either  case,  it  is  not  a. 
proper  pattern  of  imitation  for  us. 

But  on  the  scheme  of  the  real  humanity  of  Jesus, 
every  thing  is  calculated  to  rouse,  animate,  and  en- 
courage. To  him  that  over  comet  h  (says  our  Lord, 
Rev.  iii.  21.)  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne, 
eten  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Fa- 
ther in  his  throne.  Duly  impressed  with  these  tran- 
sporting words,  as  well  as  influenced  by  the  example 
of  faithful  men  in  former  ages,  we  are  strongly 
prompted  to  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin  which 
doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  to  run  with  patience  the  race 
that  is  set  before  us,  looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and 
finisher  of faith  ;  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him, 
endured  the  cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at 
the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of  God.* 

May  God  our  heavenly  Father  be  blessed 
and  praised  for  his  grace  and  mercy  in  Christ,  and  all 
the  inestimable  advantages  derived  from  the  practical 
knowledge  and  influence  of  the  pure,  evangelical 
scheme  of  religion.  Amen. 

*   Hek  xij.  1,  2. 


DISSERTATION   IX. 

A  REPLY 
TO  ARIAN  OBJECTIONS. 

1  Timothy  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

H.AVING  concluded  the  positive  proof  and  evi- 
dence, which  we  proposed  to  alledge  from  Scripture, 
in  favour  of  the  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  we  now,  according  to  the  plan  we  laid  down, 
come  to  enter  upon  the  second  division  of  the  second 
important  affirmation  contained  in  our  text,  which 
was  to  reply  to  the  objections  of  those  who  adopt  the 
Arian  system  ;  with  respect  to  the  supposed  pre-ex- 
istence  of  Christ,  and  his  having  been  employed  as  an 
agent  or  instrument  in  the  formation  of  the  world  or 
first  creation. 

We  shall  first  take  notice  of  those  passages  of 
Scripture  which  are  urged  by  the  Arians,  as  referring 
to  a  state  of  pre-existence  in  general,  and  then  pro- 
ceed to  explain  those  which  are  thought  by  them  to 


132  A   REPLY  TO 

refer  to  our  Lord's  having  been  employed  as  an  in- 
ferior agent  in  the  creation  of  the  world. 

Indeed,  I  apprehend,  in  order  to  be  consistent,  both 
these  must  be  believed  or  rejected  together.  For 
though  some  modern  Arians  have  attempted  to  make 
a  distinction,  and  have  asserted,  that  the  notion  of 
Christ's  pre-existence  in  general  might  stand  by  it- 
self, without  necessarily  implying  any  agency  on  his 
part  in  creation;  yet  this  distinction  was  quite  un- 
known to  the  ancient  Arians,  as  well  as  to  all  who 
have  embraced  their  system  in  modern  times,  until  of 
late  years  it  has  been  started  by  some  ingenious  men: 
and  if  we  are  to  interpret  a  part  of  these  Scriptures 
literally  which  are  supposed  to  refer  to  a  state  of  pre- 
existence,  uniformity  and  consistency  seem  to  re- 
quire, that  we  should  interpret  the  whole  in  a  like 
manner. 

After  the  clear,  striking,  and  almost  irresistible 
evidence,  that  we  have  exhibited  in  favour  of  the 
real  manhood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  it  seems 
highly  improbable  a  priori,  that  any  thing  solid  or 
well  founded  can  be  alledged  against  it.  For  a  divine 
revelation  intended  for  the  benefit  and  information  of 
mankind  at  large  must  be  supposed  to  be  clear  and 
uniform;  and  a  set  of  writers  deriving  their  infor- 
mation from  the  same  source  can  never  be  conceived 
to  contradict  one  another. 

If  Mathew,  Mark,  Luke,  Peter,  and  James  have 
said  nothing  respecting  the  pre-existence  of  Christ,  it 
is  highly  improbable  that  John  or  Paul  should  have 
inculcated  it  or  referred  to  it ;  and  it  is  very  natural 
to  think  that  the  sense  of  those  passages  which  some 
have  supposed  to  look  that  way  has  been  misunder- 
stood, and  that  the  comments  made  upon  these  places 
of  Scripture  are  mistaken  criticisms,  arising  from 
the  authors  of  them  not  having  been  rightly  acquaint- 
ed with  the  oriental  idiom. 


Arian  objections.  133 

The  most  literal  interpretations  of  Scripture  are 
not  always  the  best.  It  is  granted  on  all  hands,  and 
by  all  parties,  that  some  passages  are  to  be  understood 
figuratively,  that  is,  when  the  literal  sense  is  absurd, 
or  impossible,  or  contrary  to  the  general  analogy  of 
Scripture. 

If  we  take  this  good  general  rule  along  with  us, 
and  also  such  a  share  of  candour  and  fairness  as 
ought  always  to  accompany  a  Christian  in  all  religi- 
ous inquiries  and  disquisitions,  it  may  be  sufficient  to 
guide  us  in  our  scheme  of  interpretation,  and  to  lead 
us  to  the  just  and  true,  or  most  natural  meaning  of  the 
sacred  writers. 

The  pre-existence  of  Christ,  his  existing  in  a  state 
of  glory  before  the  world  was,  and  having  been  em- 
ployed in  the  creation  of  the  Universe,  and  afterwards 
having  come  down  from  heaven  to  inhabit  a  human 
body,  is  a  notion  so  wonderful,  astonishing  and  tran- 
scendent, so  contrary  to  all  that  could  be  supposed  or 
imagined,  that,  if  true,  we  might  well  suppose  it  to 
be  almost  the  perpetual  theme  and  burden  of  the 
sacred  writers,  that  it  would  have  been  particularly 
and  distinctly  recorded,  and  that  very  frequent  allu- 
sions to  it  would  have  been  found  in  every  book  of 
the  New  Testament.  And  yet  the  fact  is,  that  in  the 
three  first  Gospels,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the 
Epistles  of  James,  Peter,  John,  and  Jude,  the 
greatest  part  of  the  Epistles  of  Paul,  and  the  Revela- 
tion of  John,  there  is  no  colour  for  it  to  be  found, 
nor  even  an  allusion  which  seems  to  imply  it. 

How  shall  we  account  for  these  omissions  suppos- 
ing this  notion  to  be  true  ?  Was  it  not  incumbent 
upon  Mathew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  who  undertook  to 
give  a  fair  and  distinct  history  of  every  thing  remark- 
able and  important  relative  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
to  take  notice  of  a   circumstance  so  wonderful  as 


134-  A   REPLY  TO 

that  of  his   pre-existence  and    consequent  incarna- 
tion. 

This  omission  is  altogether  unaccountable  in  Luke; 
who  proposed  to  take  things  from  their  li  st  rise,  and 
says  that  he  derived  his  information  (chap.  i.  2.)  from 
those  who  from  the  beginning  were  eye-witnesses,  and 
ministers  of  the  word ;  who  enters  so  minutely  into  all 
the  circumstances  preceding  and  attending  our  Lord's 
birth,  and  yet  drops  not  a  word  relative  to  any  state 
of  pre-existence  before  his  formation  of  the  Virgin 
Mary.  What  a  fair  opportunity  h^d  he  of  doing  it  in 
the  conference  which  he  describes  between  Gabriel 
and  the  Virgin,  and  yet  he  refers  to  nothing  of  the 
kind,  but  merely  informs  us  of  the  divine  power 
which  was  employed  in  the  formation  of  Jesus,  on 
account  of  which  he  was  to  be  called  the  Son  of 
God. 

I  must  say,  that  considerations  of  this  kind  affected 
me  powerfully,  even  at  a  time  when  I  was  less  decided 
with  respect  to  our  Lord's  proper  humanity  than  I 
am  at  present ;  and  I  should  think  they  must  also  have 
a  strong  effect  upon  every  mind  that  is  open  to  con- 
viction. 

Luke  together  with  Matthew  and  Mark,  must 
have  been  acquainted  with  our  Lord's  pre-exis- 
tence, if  a  fact,  and  they  must  also  have  considered 
it  as  a  matter  of  great  importance,  and  of  consequence 
delivered  it  to  the  world  ful'y  and  explicitly  in  their 
writings.  They  knew  not  that  any  one  was  to  come 
after  them,  and  compose  a  supplement  or  appendix  to 
their  writings; — an  omission,  therefore,  of  so  impor- 
tant a  fact,  which  might  lead  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
for  ever  into  a  mistake  concerning  his  character,  was 
unpardonable  and  irretrievable.  It  follows  therefore, 
as  a  natural  and  unavoidable  consequence,  that  neither 
Mathew,  iviark,  nor  Luke,  knew  any  thing  of  the 
pre-existence  of  Jesus;  and  if  they  knew  nothing  of 


Arian  objections.  i'35 

it,  it  cannot  be  supposed  to  be  a  truth,  ?nd  con- 
sequently, Arianism,  as  well  as  Trinitarianism,  will 
be  shaken  from  its  foundation,  and  fall  to  the 
ground. 

Hiving  premised  these  general  observations,  we 
now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  those  passages  of 
Scripture  which  are  supposed  to  imply  or  infer  the 
pre-existence  of  Christ. 

John  i.  15.  John  bare  witness  of  him,  and  cried,  say- 
ing, This  was  he  of  -whom  I  spake,  He  that  comet h  after 
me  is  preferred  before  me;  for  he  was  before  me.  These 
last  words,  for  he  was  before  me,  as  they  stand  in  our 
last  translation,  have  been  thought  by  some  to  imply 
Chrises  pre-existence, — as  he  was  certainly  younger 
than  John  in  respect  of  years  in  this  world,  they  ima- 
gine that  these  words  must  refer  to  a  prior  state  of 
existence.  But  several  learned  men  are  of  opinion, 
that  the  Greek  words  ^Zrit  ^«,  rendered  before  me, 
may  with  more  propriety  be  translated  my  chief,  my 
principal,  or,  "  one  more  excellent  than  L"  This  re- 
moves the  objection  at  once,  and  makes  the  sense  of 
John  similar  to  that  of  the  other  Evangelists;  who 
when  they  take  notice  of  the  description  that  John 
the  baptist  gives  of  the  character  and  dignity  of  our 
Lord  use  words  that  imply  no  prior  state  of  existence, 
but  only  greater  dignity  and  power  than  John  was 
possessed  of.  Thus,  Math.  iii.  1 1 . — He  that  cometh 
after  me  is  mightier  than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy 
to  bear:  &c.  Mark  i.  7.  There  cometh  one  mightier 
than  I  after  me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoes  lam  not  wor- 
thy to  stoop  down  and  unloose:  and  Luke  iii.  J6.  in 
words  nearly  the  same  as  those  of  Mark.  These  quo- 
tations from  the  other  Evangelists  supply  us  with  a 
good  commentary  on  John's  words,  and  confirm  the 
translation  we  have  given  of  them. 

John  i.  1  8.   No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time:  the 
only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he 


136  A  REPLY  TO 

hath  declared  him.  The  word  only  begotten  is  equivalent 
to  well  beloved,  as  may  be  proved  by  many  examples;* 
and  the  Sons  hip  of  Jesus  with  every  epithet  annexed 
to  it  is  only  referable  to  his  humanity,  as  we  have  be- 
fore shown.  The  being  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  de- 
notes that  our  Lord  was  a  person  very  dear  to  him, 
and  acquainted  with  his  counsels;  but  has  no  reference 
to  any  prior  state  of  existence. 

John  iii.  1 3.  And  no  man  hath  ascended  up  to  heaven, 
but  he  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man 
which  is  in  heaven.  This  passage  occurs  in  our  Lord's 
discourse  with  Nicodemus,  in  which  are  several  figu- 
rative expressions,  and  this  among  the  rest.  In  a  li- 
teral sense,  it  was  not  true  that  no  man  had  ascended 
up  to  heaven,  since  Enoch  and  Elijah  had  both  been 
translated  to  those  happy  regions.  It  was  also  not  li- 
terally true  that  our  Lord,  being  the  Son  of  man,  had 
ever  been  there.  We  have  no  account  of  any  ascen- 
sion of  our  Lord,  but  his  final  one  after  his  resurrec- 
tion. The  literal  sense  of  this  passage  therefore,  can- 
not be  the  true  one.  And  if  ascending  up  to  heaven, 
cannot  be  taken  in  a  literal  sense;  neither  can  coming 
down  from  heaven  be  understood  of  a  literal  descent; 
but  each  must  be  interpreted  in  conformity  with  the 
other.  Now  as,  according  to  common  and  ordinary 
ways  of  thinking,  heaven  is  supposed  to  be  upwards, 
and  those  who  wish  to  be  acquainted  with  the  will  of 
God  must  go  there  to  inform  themselves  concerning 
it,  so  our  Lord  following  this  popular  idea,  and  adapt- 
ing his  discourse  to  it  makes  use  of  these  figurative 
expressions;  intending  nothing  more  by  them  as  I  ap- 
prehend, than  to  signify,  that  he  only  was  acquainted 
with  the  divine  counsels  or  designs  for  the  safety  and 
happiness  of  the  human  race.  And  this  method  of  ex- 
plaining his  words  is  strengthened  by  what  follows, 
even  the  Son  of  man  which  is  in  heaven.    For  it  is  a  cer- 

*  Compare  John  i.  18  with  Math.  iii.  17.  xvii  3.  Mark  i.  11.  ix.  ". 
Luke  iii.  22.  ix.  35.  2  Pet.  i   17. 


Arian  objections,  137 

tain  fact  that  the  Son  of  man,  or  a  material,  fleshly  be- 
ing, could  not  come  down  from  heaven,  and  yet  be  in 
heaven  at  the  same  time.  It  would  be  equal  in  absur- 
dity to  the  doctrine  of  transubstantiation,  to  suppose 
it.  The  whole  passage  therefore  is  figurative,  and  is 
owned  to  be  so  by  a  learned  Trinitarian  writer  who 
interprets  it,  "  No  one  knows  (or  understands)  hea- 
venly things,  but  I  only." 

And  it  strengthens  our  interpretation  greatly  and 
shows  it  to  be  a  just  one,  when  we  find  similar  lan- 
guage used  in  the  Old  Testament.  Thus,  Moses 
speaking  to  the  Jews  concerning  the  will  of  God,  or 
his  commands  revealed  to  them  from  heaven,  says, 
Deut.  xxx.  1 2.  //  is  not  in  heaven,  that  thou  shouldest 
say  ;  Who  shall  go  up  for  us  to  heaven,  and  bring  it  unto 
us,  that  we  may  hear  it,  and  do  it?  And  Pro  v.  xxx.  4. 
Who  hath  ascended  up  into  heaven,  or  descended  ?  &c. 
— what  is  his  name,  and  what  is  his  son's  name  ?  if 
thou  canst  tell  ? 

The  plain  meaning,  then,  of  our  Lord's  words, 
when  stript  of  their  metaphorical  dress,  was  no  more 
than  this.  I  the  Son  of  man,  the  promised  Messiah,  the 
great  prophet,  teacher,  and  instructor  of  mankind, 
am  alone  acquainted  with  the  divine  will,  or  the  coun- 
sels of  the  Father ;  his  presence  is  ever  with  me,  and 
in  consequence  thereof,  these  heavenly  things  (ver. 
12.)  are  as  well  known  to  me,  as  if  I  had  ascended 
up  to  heaven  and  come  down  again  on  purpose. 

John  vi.  34.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  he  which  Com- 
eth down  from  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world. 
38.  For  I  came  down  from  heaven  not  to  do  mine  own 
will,  hut  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me.  Ver.  51. 
/  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  from  heaven  : 
&c. 

The  chapter  from  whence  these  passages  are  quoted 
is  one  of  the  most  figurative  in  the  whole  New  Tes- 
tament.   That  our  Lord  did  not  intend  a  great  part 
T 


138  A  REPLY  TO 

of  what  he  said  to  be  understood  literally,  appears 
from  the  caution  he  gives,  ver.  63.  //  is  the  spirit  that 
quickencth,  the  flesh  profit  eth  nothing:  the  words  that  I 
speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit,  and  they  are  life. 

As  our  Lord  styles  himself  thrice  in  this  discourse, 
the  Son  of  man,  and  represents  himself  at  other  times 
by  material  substances,  such  as  bread,  flesh,  and  blood, 
it  is  sufficiently  plain  to  those  who  consider  his  words 
here  with  attention  and  compare  them  with  what  he 
himself  and  his  Apostles  say  elsewhere,  that  when  he 
speaks  of  coming  down  from  heaven,  or  that  he  came 
down  from  heaven;  he  can  only  refer  to  the  divinity 
and  heavenly  origin  of  his  doctrine  and  mission,  or 
his  supernatural  production  as  a  man  by  the  power  of 
God,  and  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit  imparted  to  him; 
but  by  no  means  to  any  state  of  pre-existence,  before 
his  formation  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 

John  vi.  62.  What  and  if  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  man 
ascend  up  where  he  was  before  ?  This  is  perhaps  as 
obscure  a  Text  as  is  to  be  met  with  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament ;  and  the  Arians  urge  it  as  an  argument  in 
support  of  their  system ;  and  think  that  the  words 
ascend  up  refer  to  our  Lord's  ascending  to  heaven 
after  his  resurrection,  and  that  the  word  before  refers 
to  a  state  of  pre-existence.  But  as  the  Son  of  man 
never  was  in  heaven  (considered  as  a  state  of  sepa- 
ration from  this  world)  till  his  final  ascension,  some 
other  sense  than  this  must  be  the  true  one. 

A  late  writer  refers  it  to  Christ's  resurrection  from 
the  dead  into  this  world,  in  which  he  was  before  his 
death.  But  it  is  to  be  observed,  that  our  Lord  was 
speaking  here  to  a  pretty  numerous  concourse;  not 
merely  to  his  own  disciples,  but  to  many  others  be- 
sides; all,  or  even  the  greatest  part  of  whom,  never 
saw  him  in  this  world  after  his  resurrection,  and  there- 
fore it  could  not  be  said  in  this  sense  that  they  should 
see  him  ascend  up  where  he  was  before. 


Arian  objections.  1 39 

The  learned  Dr.  Lardner  thinks,  "  that  this  pas- 
"  sage  should  not  be  understood  too  literally,  and 
"  that  our  Lord  intended  by  it  only  to  say  that  he 
"  should  not  be  always  personally  here,  but  should 
"  leave  this  world ;  which  was  the  most  discouraging 
"  thought  to  all  the  carnal  Jews,  and  much  suited  to 
"  his  purpose  on  the  present  occasion." 

Though  we  were  to  interpret  these  words  in  the 
strictest  literal  sense,  they  would  not  necessarily 
prove  what  Arians  contend  for,  that  Christ  existed 
in  heaven  prior  to  his  birth  :  for  it  is  the  Son  of  man 
that  is  here  spoken  of,  and  we  are  sure  that  the  Son 
of  man  did  not  exist  before  he  was  born.  The  ut- 
most, therefore,  that  could  be  inferred  from  these 
words  taken  in  the  most  literal  sense  would  be,  that 
our  Lord  was  at  some  period  of  his  life  taken  up  to 
heaven  in  order  to  be  instructed  in  the  divine  coun- 
sels. This  was  the  opinion  of  Socinus  himself  and 
the  early  Polish  Unitarians,  who  supposed  that  our 
Lord  was  taken  up  to  heaven  before  he  entered  upon 
his  public  ministry,  as  Moses  was  called  up  by  God 
to  Mount  Sinai,*  or  Paul  caught  up  to  the  third  hea- 
ven,]; and  there  received  the  divine  commands. 

It  might  have  been  expected  however,  that  an  ac- 
count should  have  been  given  of  this  matter  in  the 
Evangelists  ;  but  we  find  none  ;  unless  some  portion 
of  the  time  our  Lord  spent  in  the  wilderness,  before 
or  after  his  temptation,  may  have  been  employed  in 
this  way. 

John  viii.  58.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am.  We  had 
this  passage  before  under  consideration  in  the  class  of 
Trinitarian  objections,  (p.  58,  59.)  and  showed  that 
the  true  rendering  and  meaning  of  it  was,  Before 
Abraham  was  I  am  he,  or  the  Messiah,  the  object  of 
Abraham's  faith,  whose  day  he  rejoiced  to  see,  and  he 

*  Exod.  xix.  20.     xxxiv.  4.  f  2  Cor.  xu.  2. 


140  A   REPLY  TO 

saw  it,  and  was  glad.  This,  which  is  the  true  sense 
of  the  passage,  removes  the  objection  and  shows  that 
our  Lord  intended  to  say  nothing  more,  but  that  he 
was  the  true  Messiah  predicted  and  promised  before 
Abraham  had  a  being. 

John  xvi.  28.  I  came  forth  from  the  Father ;  and 
am  come  into  the  world :  again,  I  leave  the  world,  and 
go  the  Father.  Many  have  been  misled  as  to  the  true 
meaning  of  this  passage  by  not  attending  to  the  par- 
ticular force  and  genuine  sense  of  words  as  they  are 
used  in  Scripture.  To  come  into  the  world  as  here 
used,  does  not  signify  to  come  from  any  previous  or 
prior  state  of  existence,  or  even  to  be  born  and  enter 
into  our  natural  world  :  but  it  signifies,  to  receive  a 
commission  from  God,  to  enter  upon  it,  or  appear 
in  his  name  amongst  men.  The  term  world  here 
signifies  not  merely  the  material  fabric  of  the  earth, 
but  men  united  by  the  bonds  of  Society.  To  come 
into  the  world  therefore,  is  to  mix  amongst  mankind, 
to  commence  a  course  or  an  office  in  Society,  and  en- 
ter upon  a  scene  of  public  action. 

We  can  prove  this  to  be  the  genuine  sense  and 
meaning  of  the  words  by  many  scriptural  examples. 
Thus  our  Lord  says  to  Pilate,  John  xviii.  37.  To 
this  end  was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world,  that  I  should  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Here, 
he  refers  to  his  birth  in  the  first  place,  which  shows 
him  to  have  been  a  man,  and  afterwards  speaks  of 
his  divine  commission,  by  the  phrase  of  coming  into 
the  world.  In  like  manner,  1  John  iv.  1 . — ?nany  false 
prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world:  and  2  John  ver.  7. 
For  many  deceivers  are  entered  into  the  world,  who 
confess  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh. 

These  two  last  quotations  deserve  to  be  attended 
to.  Here  we  find,  rhat  false  prophets  and  deceivers  are 
said  to  be  gone  out  into  the  world  and  to  have  entered 
into  the  world.     Few,  or  none,  I  apprehend,  will  say 


Arian  objections.  141 

that  these  false  prophets  and  deceivers  pre-existed  in 
any  former  state ;  and  yet  a  similar  mode  of  expres- 
sion is  used  concerning  them,  as  our  Lord.  They 
are  said  to  have  gone  out  or  entered  into  the  worlds 
when  they  commenced  false  teachers  or  deceitful  in- 
structors of  mankind  ;  and  in  the  same  manner  our 
Lord,  who  was  the  best  and  most  excellent  teacher 
that  mankind  ever  knew,  is  said  to  come  into  the 
world,  when  he  entered  upon  his  public  ministry. 

But  there  is  a  passage  still  stronger  than  any  of 
those  I  have  yet  alledged,  which  will  confirm  the  ex- 
plication of  the  phrase  corning  into  the  world  we  have 
given,  beyond  a  doubt.  Our  Lord,  in  his  devout, 
solemn  prayer  to  the  Father,  John  xvii.  18,  speak- 
ing of  his  disciples,  says,  As  thou  hast  sent  me  into 
the  world,  even  so  have  I  also  sent  them  into  the  world. 
Here  the  Apostles  are  declared  by  our  Lord  himself 
to  be  sent  into  the  world  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Fa- 
ther sent  him  into  the  world.  And  as  no  one  can  in- 
fer the  pre-existence  of  the  Apostles  from  this  ex- 
pression, neither  is  it  reasonable  to  infer  the  pre-ex- 
istence of  our  Lord  from  it. 

Upon  the  whole,  the  words  of  our  Lord  may  be 
understood  as  conveying  this  sense.  /  came  forth 
from  the  Father,  that  is,  I  was  sanctified  and  set  apart 
by  him  and  fitted  for  my  mediatorial  office,  and  came 
into  the  world,  or  entered  upon  my  public  ministrv. 
Again,  I  leave  the  world,  I  retire  from  this  scene  of 
action  and  spiritual  occupation,  and  go  unto  the  Fa- 
ther, that  is,  I  withdraw  from  mankind,  and  return 
to  my  heavenly  Father  from  whom  I  received  my 
commission.  Thus,  a  passage,  that  at  first  sight, 
appears  invincibly  strong  for  the  pre-existence  of 
Christ,  and  which  has  greatly  puzzled  many  ;  when 
accurately  examined,  and  spiritual  things  are  com- 
pared with  spiritual,  appears  to  afford  no  solid  foun- 
dation for  it. 


142  A  REPLY  TO 

John  xvii.  5.  And  now,  0  Father,  glorify  thou 
vie  with  thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had 
with  thee  before  the  world  was.  This  is  another  pas- 
sage, that,  literally  taken,  interpreted  by  itself,  and 
without  attending  to  the  oriental  idiom  and  the  gene- 
ral sense  of  Scripture  concerning  our  Lord,  may 
seem  irresistibly  strong  for  his  pre-existence  and  al- 
most unanswerable.  It  had  long  a  powerful  effect 
upon  myself,  suspended  my  judgment,  and  prevent- 
ed me  from  coming  to  an  absolute  decision  with  re- 
spect to  the  proper  humanity  of  our  Lord.  But  as 
it  is  impossible  that  any  sacred  writer  can  contradict 
another,  and  as  it  does  not  seem  reasonable  to  build 
a  doctrine,  inconsistent  with  many  clear  places  of 
Scripture,  attended  with  great  difficulties,  and  embar- 
rassing the  plain,  simple  scheme  of  Christianity,  up- 
on one  or  two  passages ;  let  us  examine  with  calm 
and  unprejudiced  minds,  whether  we  can  find  a  way 
of  interpreting  this  passage,  consistent  with  the  ge- 
neral scheme  of  the  sacred  writers. 

It  may  help  to  lead  us  to  the  true  sense  of  this 
place  if  we  consider,  that  the  glory  belonging  to  the 
Messiah  was  something  posterior  to,  or  coming  af- 
ter his  sufferings  and  death,  and  not  possessed  before 
then.  Thus,  our  Lord  himself  says,  Luke  xxiv.  26. 
Ought  not  the  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things,  and 
to  enter  unto  his  glory?  Thus,  1  Pet.  i.  1 1 .  the  sufferings 
of  Christ  are  spoken  of,  and  the  glory  that  should  fol- 
low. And  it  is  said  of  our  Lord,  Heb.  ii.  2. — who, 
for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross, 
despising  the  shame,  &c. 

The  glory  belonging  to  Christ  therefore  was  a  fol- 
lowing glory,  something  that  was  to  take  place,  and 
that  he  was  to  enter  into,  after  his  sufferings  and 
death,  and  that  he  did  not  actually  enjoy  before  them. 

If  we  arrange  our  Lord's  words  in  the  order  in 
which  they  stand  in  the  original  Greek,  we  may  per- 


Arian  objections.  143 

haps  find  some  authority  from  that  order,  for  affix- 
ing this  sense  to  them.  And  now,  0  Father,  glorify 
thou  me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the  glory  which  I  had 
before  the  world  was,  with  thee.  The  glory  which 
our  Lord  prays  for,  was  a  glory  that  had  not  been  in 
his  own  possession,  but  was  with  the  Father,  or  pre- 
pared for  him  by  the  Father.  And  from  the  certain 
assurance  that  the  glory  promised  him  would  be  ac- 
tually conferred,  he  speaks  of  it,  ver.  22.  of  this 
chapter,  as  already  in  his  possession,  and  promises  it 
to  his  disciples.  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me, 
I  have  given  them  :  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we 
are  one. 

It  was  a  part  of  the  divine  counsel  from  the  very 
first,  that  the  Messiah  should  be  glorified  :  and  that 
his  faithful  followers  should  share  in  the  divine  grace 
and  mercy  by  him.  And  therefore  it  is  said,  Ephes. 
i.  3,  4.  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  who  hath  blessed  us  with  all  spiritual 
blessings  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ :  According  as  he 
hath  chosen  us  in  him,  before  the  foundation  of  the 
world,  &c.  Thus  also,  2  Tim.  i.  9.  Who  (God) 
hath  saved  us,  and  called  us  with  an  holy  calling,  not 
according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his  own  pur- 
pose and  grace  which  was  given  us  in  Christ 
Jesus,  before  the  world  began,  &c.  And  our  Lord 
represents  himself  as  saying  to  the  righteous  at  the 
day  of  Judgment,  Math.  xxv.  34. — Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  prepared  for 
you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

We  therefore  interpret  the  words  of  our  Lord  Je-t 
sus  Christ  in  the  passage  we  have  been  considering, 
according  to  the  Hebrew  phraseology  and  the  general 
sense  of  Scripture,  of  the  glory  that  was  laid  up  or 
reserved  for  him,  in  the  divine  decree,  before  the 
world  was.  Thus  our  Lord,  after  having  glorified 
the  Father  on  the  earth,  and  finished  the  work  which 


144  A  REPLY  TO 

he  had  given  him  to  do,  requests  in  prayer  that  glory, 
which  he  knew  was  destined  and  prepared  for  him  at 
the  Father's  right  hand. 

This  interpretation  is  by  no  means  a  novel  one,  or 
of  modern  date ;  it  is  that  of  Grotius  and  Le  Clerc, 
and  was  also  that  of  Augustin,  an  ancient  Latin  Fa- 
ther; and  has  been  generally  adopted  since  the  Refor- 
mation by  the  advocates  for  the  proper  humanity  of 
Jesus. 

Blessed  be  God  for  the  dispensation  of  grace  and 
truth  by  Jesus  Christ,  who  verily  was  foreordained 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  was  manifest 
in  these  last  times  for  those,  who  by  him  do  believe  in 
God,  that  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  gave  him 
glory,  that  our  faith  and  hope  might  be  in  God. 
Amen.     1  Pet.  i.  20,  21. 


DISSERTATION  X. 

A  REPLY 
TO  ARIAN  OBJECTIONS. 

1  Timothy  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and 
men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus, 

AGREEABLY  to  our  proposed  plan,  we  proceed 
in  replying  to  the  objections  of  those  who  adopt  the 
Arian  system,  founded  upon  some  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, which  seem  to  them  to  imply  the  pre-existence 
of  Christ,  but  which  appear  to  us  to  be  capable  of 
other  solutions,  and  to  admit  of  explications  con- 
sistent with  the  scheme  of  the  proper  humanity  of 
our  Lord. 

1  Cor.  x.  4. — For  they  drank  of  that  spiritual  rock 
that  followed  them  :  and  that  rock  was  Christ.  This 
passage  has  been  urged  as  an  argument  to  prove  that 
Christ  existed  in  the  time  of  Moses,  and  that  he  was 
the  agent  that  commanded  Moses  to  smite  the  rock 
which  supplied  the  Israelites  with  water  in  the  wil- 
derness. But  this  application  is  entirely  grounded 
upon  an  erroneous  idea*  and  arises  from  not  attend- 

U 


146  A   REPLY  TO 

ing  to  the  figurative  language  used  by  Paul,  who  de- 
lights in  allegorical  applications  of  this  kind. 

It  is  certain,  that  Jehovah  the  God  of  Israel,  the 
God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  that  God,  who 
in  the  New  Testament  is  styled  the  God  and  Father 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  who  raised  him  from 
the  dead,  was  the  agent  who  conducted  the  Israelites, 
under  the  ministry  of  Moses  his  servant,  and  who 
brought  water  from  the  rock*  And  accordingly  we 
find  that  in  this  chapter,  ver.  1,  the  Israelites  are 
said  to  have  been  all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud 
and  in  the  sea  ;  and  ver.  3  and  4,  it  is  said,  they  did 
all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat ;  and  did  all  drink  the 
same  spiritual  drink  :  and  then  it  is  added  by  way  of 
parenthesis  (for  they  drank  of  that  spiritual  rock  that 
followed  them :  and  that  rock  was  Christ,)  or  a  type, 
or  figure  of  Christ. 

The  indirect  method  in  which  this  allusion  is 
brought  forward,  seems  to  denote  that  it  was  only 
intended  by  the  Apostle  as  a  figure  or  allegorical  ap- 
plication. And  it  is  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  build 
doctrines  of  importance  upon  hints,  metaphors,  or 
figurative  allusions. 

The  plain,  and  obvious  meaning  of  the  Apostle 
appears  to  be,  that  the  rock,  by  which  the  Israelites 
when  parched  with  thirst  were  supplied  with  refresh- 
ing draughts  of  water,  was  a  type  or  figure  of  Christ 
and  the  blessings  of  his  Gospel;  which  afford  a  far 
superior  refreshment  and  consolation  to  Christian  Pil- 
grims, when  travelling  through  the  wilderness  of  this 
world  towards  the  heavenly  Canaan. 

In  the  same  chapter  another  passage  occurs  of 
which  a  similar  erroneous  application  has  been  made. 
Ver.  9.  Neither  let  us  tempt  Christ,  as  some  of  them 
also  tempted,  and  were  destroyed  of  serpents. 

*  See  Exod.  xvii.  5,  6. 


Arian  objections.  147 

Admitting  the  commonly  received  reading  to  be  a 
just  one,  it  would  not  follow  that  Christ  pre-existed, 
nor  that  the  Israelites  literally  tempted  him,  since  we 
might  understand  the  passage  in  the  same  way  that  a 
learned  Commentator  does,  who  supposes  the  word 
God  to  be  understood,  and  renders.it  as  follows. 
Neither  let  us  tempt  Christ,  as  some  of  them  also  tempt- 
ed God,  and  were  destroyed  of  serpents. 

But  we  have  still  a  better  solution  of  this  place  ; 
for  the  celebrated  Alexandrian  Manuscript  reads 
here,  Neither  let  us  tempt  God,  and  some  later  ones 
either  exhibit  the  same  reading,  or  have,  let  us  not 
tempt  the  Lord.  And  add  to  all  this,  that  Epiphanius 
an  ancient  ecclesiastical  writer  informs  us,  that 
this  text  was  very  early  corrupted  by  Marcion,  an 
ancient  heretic ;  who  changed  Lord,  the  ancient 
reading  into  Christ.  So  that,  from  these  considera- 
tions, this  objection  is  satisfactorily  removed. 

2  Cor.  viii.  9.  For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your 
sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye  through  his  poverty  might 
be  rich.  These  words  have  no  necessary  reference 
to  any  pre-existent  state.  They  may  be  very  well 
explained  in  regard  to  our  Lord's  state  and  conduct 
while  upon  earth.  He  was  in  possession  of  great 
and  illustrious  powers,  by  which  he  could  controul 
nature  and  procure  what  he  pleased  for  himself  or 
others.  He  abounded  also  in  wisdom  and  every  mo- 
ral virtue.  But  though  his  benevolence  prompted 
him  to  make  use  of  his^  miraculous  powers  in  behalf 
of  others,  yet  we  never  find  it  recorded,  that  he  ever 
did  any  thing  for  his  own  private  emolument,  ease, 
or  accommodation. 

Though  he  might  have  chosen  an  easy,  indepen- 
dent station  for  himself,  and  as  far  as  we  know  there 
would  have  been  no  criminality  in  so  doing,  yet  he 
inclined  to  appear  in  a  low  station,  and  to  embrace 


148  A  REPLY  TO 

a  life  of  voluntary  poverty ;  making  his  example 
thereby  more  eminently  extensive  and  useful,  as  the 
bulk  of  mankind  are  placed  in  such  situations ;  and 
giving  also  by  his  appearance  the  strongest  proof  of 
his  disinterestedness  and  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  he 
taught,  as  having  no  connection  with  worldly  power, 
grandeur,  and  policy,  but  prevailing  by  its  own  in- 
trinsic worth  and  excellence. 

In  this  manner,  our  Lord  was  rich  in  his  divine 
powers,  gifts,  graces,  and  qualifications ;  and  in  this 
manner,  he  became  poor,  by  his  moderate,  self-deny- 
ing application  of  them  ;  and  that  for  our  sakes  and 
the  Gospel's,  that  his  example  might  be  more  emi- 
nently useful  and  instructive,  and  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel  ascertained  with  greater  evidence. 

Ephes.  iv.  9,  10.  Now  that  he  ascetided,  what  is 
it  but  that  he  also  descended  first  into  the  lower  parts  of 
the  earth  ?  He  that  descended  is  the  same  also  that  as- 
cended up  far  above  all  heavens,  that  he  might  fill  all 
things.  This  passage  has  not  the  least  reference  to 
any  pre-existent  state  of  Christ  before  his  birth.  The 
Jews  of  that  age  had  their  objections  to  a  suffering 
Messiah,  who  should  be  subjected  to  death.  The 
Apostle  endeavours  to  obviate  this  objection  by  an 
allusion  to  Psalm  lxviii.  He  quotes  the  1  8th  verse, 
with  some  alteration.  Verse  8.  Wherefore  he  saitb, 
When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive, 
and  gave  gifts  unto  men.  And  then,  he  argues,  Now 
that  he  ascended,  what  is  it  but  that  he  also  descended 
first  into  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth  ?  or  the  grave, 
which  is  meant  thereby. 

The  descent  here  spoken  of,  is  not  a  descent  from 
heaven  or  any  pre-existent  state,  but  a  descent  from 
this  world  to  the  grave,  or  the  state  of  the  dead  ; 
and  then  an  ascent  from  that  state  to  a  state  of  pow- 
er, glory,  and  dignity,  far  above  all  heavens  ;  here 
signified  by  filling  all  things,  or  superintending  what- 


Arian  objections.  J  49 

ever  relates  to  the  government  of  his  church  and 
people. 

Philip,  ii.  5  to  11.  Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which 
was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  :  who  being  in  the  form  of 
God,  did  not  aspire,  or  think  it  a  prey  to  be  seized,  to 
be  like  God :  But  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and 
took  upon  htm  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in 
the  likeness  of  men  ;  And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a 
man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  Wherefore  God 
also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name :  That  at  (or  in)  the  name 
of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven, 
and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth  ;  And 
that  every  tongue  should  confess,  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 

This  passage  was  examined  and  replied  to  before, 
(p.  62)  so  far  as  it  can  be  considered  as  a  Trinitari- 
an objection ;  but  as  an  objection  on  the  part  of  the 
Arians,  it  deserves  a  more  particular  and  minute  dis- 
cussion. 

Some  Arians,  and  particularly  an  ingenious  writer 
in  the  Theological  Repository,  have  urged  this  passage 
as  a  strong  argument  for  the  pre-existence  of  Christ, 
inasmuch  as  he  is  said  to  be  in  the  form  of  God,  and 
afterwards  to  have  taken  upon  him  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant, and  to  have  been  made  in  the  likeness  of  men, 
and  to  be  found  in  fashion  as  a  man.  These  expres- 
sions they  think  exceedingly  strong  and  to  have  a 
necessary  reference  to  a  state  of  pre-existence:  and 
much  elaborate  declamation  has  been  employed  with 
a  view  to  evince  that  this  is  the  only  fair  and  natural 
sense  of  the  words. 

But  let  us  attentively  consider  the  words  of  our 
Apostle,  the  object  he  has  in  view,  the  example  he 
proposes,  and  we  shall  find  that  we  can  explain  his 
expressions  in  a  very  just  manner,  as  referring  to  our 


150  A   REPLY   TO 

Lord's  condition  and  demeanour  while  upon   earth. 

The  drift  or  object  of  the  Apostle's  discourse  is 
to  recommend  humility,  condescension,  and  self-de- 
nial to  the  members  of  the  christian  church  at  Phi- 
lippi  by  the  example  of  their  great  Master.  Phil.  ii. 
ver.  1  to  4.  If  there  be  therefore  any  consolation  in 
Christ,  if  any  comfort  of  love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the 
Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mercies  :  Fulfil  ye  my  joy 
that  ye  be  like-minded,  having  the  same  love,  being  of 
one  accord,  of  one  mind.  Let  nothing  be  done  through 
strife,  or  vain  glory,  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each 
esteem  other  better  than  themselves.  Look  not  every 
man  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things 
of  others.  And  then  he  proposes  the  example  of 
Christ,  as  the  most  exact  model  or  delineation  of 
the  virtues  which  he  had  been  recommending. 

Now,  where  shall  we  find  any  account  of  the 
state,  conduct,  or  behaviour  of  Christ  but  in  the 
Gospels  ?  And  do  we  ever  find  there  any  relation  of 
his  having  lived  or  acted  in  any  other  state  or  condi- 
tion than  that  of  a  man  ?  The  Apostle  therefore  in 
proposing  our  Lord  as  a  pattern  of  humility  and  self- 
denial  must  be  supposed  to  refer  to  his  life  and  man- 
ners in  general,to  something  that  was  palpably  known, 
well  understood,  and  obvious  to  every  beholder.  The 
example  of  Christ  as  a  man,  was  the  only  object,  pro- 
perly speaking,  that  could  be  held  up  as  a  pattern 
for  imitation  to  the  Philippians. 

Let  us  therefore  take  a  survey  of  the  conduct  of 
Christ  as  a  man,  placed  in  the  very  peculiar  circum- 
stances in  which  he  was,  and  try  whether  we  can 
find  a  suitable  explanation  of  every  term  the  Apos- 
tle here  employs  concerning  him. 

Who  being  in  the  form  of  God.  Observe  here,  the 
Apostle  does  not  say,  that  Jesus  was  God,  but  only 
that  he  was  in  the  form  of  God',  and  what  follows 
in  our  translation,  "  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be 


Arian  objections.  151 

equal  with  God,"  is  erroneous,  and  ought  to  be  ren- 
dered as  we  have  done  before,  did  not  aspire,  or 
think  it  a  prey  to  be  seized,  to  be  like  God.  That  this 
is  the  true  rendering  is  well  known  to  those  who  are 
acquainted  with  the  Greek,  and  the  Arians  them- 
selves admit  it  as  a  just  translation.  The  form  of  God, 
therefore,  must  necessarily  signify,  "  the  appearance 
or  likeness  of  God,"  or  more  properly,  "  some  re- 
semblance of  his  power,  glory,  and  excellence." 
And  this  will  be  found  perfectly  applicable  to  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  a  man. 

He  was  in  the  form  of  God,  when  he  was  enriched 
with  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  without  measure ;  when 
he  exhibited  a  wisdom  altogether  unusual  and  extra- 
ordinary, taught  with  authority,  and  spake  as  never 
man  spake  ; — more  especially  when  he  performed  so 
many  astonishing  miracles,  healed  the  sick,  lame  and 
blind,  cast  out  Dsemons  by  a  single  word,  walked 
on  the  sea,  stilled  the  raging  winds,  and  tumultuous 
waves,  supplied  the  cravings  of  fainting  multitudes 
with  a  few  loaves  and  fishes,  and  broke  the  barriers 
of  death  and  the  grave  by  raising  the  dead  to  life. 
These  were  great  and  God-like  actions,  and  by  the 
performance  of  these  our  Lord  appeared  like  a  God 
amongst  men.  With  a  view  to  this  extraordinary 
and  signal  part  of  our  Lord's  life  and  character,  the 
Apostle  might  properly  say,  that  he  was  in  the  form 
of  God. 

But  though  the  man  Christ  Jesus  was  really  in  the 
form  of  God,  yet  he  did  not  aspire  to  be  like  God  ;  he 
made  no  ostentatious  display  of  these  God-like  pow- 
ers, yea  sometimes  ordered  his  miraculous  cures  to 
be  concealed.  Some  think  there  may  be  an  allusion 
here  to  the  conduct  of  our  first  ancestor  Adam  and 
his  Spouse.  Our  first  Parents,  though  made  in  the 
image,  and  after  the  likeness  of  God*  fell  by  an  exor- 


152  A    REPLY   TO 

bifant  and  sinful  desire  of  forbidden  knowledge;  by 
wishing  to  be  as  Gods,  knowing  good  and  evil.*  But 
the  last  Adam,  though  in  the  form  of  God,  had  no 
unlawful  and  irregular  desires  of  this  kind.  He  ne- 
ver made  use  of  his  miracles  to  advance  his  own  glo- 
ry, or  recommend  and  distinguish  his  own  person  ; 
but  referred  them  all  to  the  glory  of  his  heavenly 
Father,  and  the  advancement  of  his  kingdom  and  in- 
terest among  men.  In  this  respect  our  Lord  did  not 
aspire  to  be  like  God. 

But  he  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  or  more  lite- 
rally, he  emptied  himself.  He  did  not  exert  these 
extraordinary  powers,  but  in  the  cases  mentioned 
above,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  man- 
kind. In  all  cases  and  situations  where  these  two 
great  objects  of  his  mission  did  not  call  them  forth, 
he  appeared  as  if  divested  of  them,  and  acted  like  an 
ordinary  man. 

And,  took,  or  more  properly,  taking  upon  him  the 
form  of  a  servant.  Our  Lord,  as  before  observed, 
though  he  might  have  chosen  a  more  easy  and  re- 
spectable situation  in  life,  yet,  from  a  motive  of  bene- 
volence and  a  regard  to  general  usefulness,  preferred 
a  low  station.  Thus,  Math.  viii.  20.  And  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of 
the  air  have  nests  ;  but  the  Son  of  man  hath  not  where 
to  lay  his  head.  Math.  xx.  28.  Even  as  the  Son  of 
man  came  not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and 
to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many.  His  whole  life  was 
employed  in  the  service  of  others,  he  even  conde- 
scended to  wash  and  wipe  his  disciples  feet,\  and  in 
short  made  himself  like  a  servant  or  slave  entirely 
subservient  to  the  purposes  of  his  mission ;  not  con- 
sulting his  own  ease  or  pleasure,  nor  partaking  of  the 
dainties  or  delicacies  of  human  life. 

*   Gen   iii   4,  5,  6,-22.         f  John  xiii.  3  to  17. 


Arian  objections.  13$ 

And  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  or  more  ex- 
actly from  the  original,  was  or  being  in  the  likeness  of 
men.  This  is  a  continuation  of  the  description  of 
our  Lord's  humility.  The  Apostle  here  is  not  speak- 
ing of  the  manner  in  which  God  made  Christ,  or  of 
transferring  a  being  from  a  higher  to  a  lower  state  of 
existence ;  but  he  is  speaking  of  Christ's  own  situ- 
ation and  circumstances  while  he  resided  on  earth 
and  was  conversant  amongst  men.  He  intends  to 
signify,  that  our  Lord  was  of  the  same  nature,  or 
character,  as  other  men,  exposed  to  the  same  suffer- 
ings, infirmities  and  calamities,  which  he  willingly 
and  cheerfully  bore  and  acquiesced  in. 

And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled 
himself  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  the  cross.  The  Apostle  has  been  hitherto  de- 
scribing and  going  through  the  different  steps  and 
gradations  of  Christ's  humility.  He  comes  now  to 
the  last  link  of  the  chain,  or  the  lowest  step  of  de- 
gradation. And  being  found  in  fashion,  or  being  in 
fashion  as  a  man,  that  is,  "  being  of  the  same  figure 
and  texture  as  other  men,"  he  made  no  effort  to 
prevent  the  insidious  designs  or  open  assaults  of  his 
enemies  from  taking  effect ;  nor  did  he  endeavour 
to  rescue  himself  out  of  the  hands  of  his  adversaries, 
or  call  in  the  assistance  of  his  miraculous  powers,  or 
supernatural  aids,  to  resist  their  attempts,  which  he 
could  have  easily  done;*  but  calmly  yielded  and 
gave  himself  up  to  the  most  unworthy  usage  and  a 
painful  and  ignominious  death. 

Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  &c. 
On  account  of  the  unparallelled  humility,  conde- 
scension, and  self-denial  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
exhibited  in  the  course  of  his  whole  useful  and  holy 
life,  and  particularly  at  the  time  of  his  sufferings  and 

*  Math.  xxvi.  4-7  to  54.     John  xviii.  1  to  12- 


154<  A   REPLY  TO 

death,  God  hath  been  pleased  to  reward  him  in  the 
most  signal  and  extraordinary  manner,  and  advance 
him  to  a  state  of  the  highest  dignity,  authority  and 
dominion. 

Thus,  we  have  entered  into  a  particular  and  dis- 
tinct examination  of  each  of  the  parts  of  our  Apos- 
tle's discourse,  and  found  they  will  apply  to  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  a  man,  and  to  his  conduct  on  earth, 
which  the  Apostle  recommends  in  the  strongest  man- 
ner to  the  imitation  of  his  followers. 

Indeed,  the  exaltation  of  Jesus,  mentioned  in  the 
conclusion  of  the  Apostle's  argument,  is  a  strong 
presumption  that  our  interpretation  is  right.  For 
the  words  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  or  exalt- 
ed him  higher  than  before,  apply  far  better  to  a  man 
than  to  a  transcendent  pre-existent  being,  such  as  the 
Arians  suppose  our  Lord  to  have  been  :  and  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  conceive  how  one  that  was  so  high  before 
could  be  made  higher,  or  receive  any  accession  to 
his  natural  dignity  by  ascending  to  heaven  in  a  hu- 
man body. 

But  the  exaltation  of  Jesus  to  honour  and  glory,  on 
account  of  his  humility,  and  unreserved  obedience 
and  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  agrees  perfectly 
with  the  scheme  of  his  proper  humanity,  with  the 
description  of  his  exaltation  in  other  places  of  Scrip- 
ture,* and  furnishes  a  most  animating,  grand  and  at- 
tractive motive  to  all  his  followers  to  excel  in  the  cul- 
tivation and  practice  of  those  virtues  that  were  so 
eminently  rewarded  in  their  Lord  and  Master. 

Heb.  ii.  1 6.  For  verily  he  (Jesus)  took  not  on  him 
the  nature  of  angels  ;  but  he  took  on  him  the  seed  of 
Abraham.  This  passage  is  literally  rendered  in  the 
margin  of  the  bible,  as  follows.^ — 'he  taketh  not  hold 
of  angels  ;  but  of  the  seed  of  Abraham  he  taketh  hold ; 

*   Art  3  ;;   32  to  36.       Eplv.  i.  17  to  23.        Heb.  xii.  2. 
1  Peter  Hi.  lS,-r-22. 


Arian  objections.  155 

denoting,  either,  that  Jesus  was  not  an  angel  but  a 
man,  or,  as  some  think,  that  he  did  not  act  for  the 
benefit  of  angels,  but  of  men ;  and  in  the  connec- 
tion in  which  it  stands  it  is  so  far  from  being  an  ob- 
jection,— that  it  may  be  considered  as  an  argument 
for  our  Lord's  proper  humanity. 

Heb.  xi.  26.  It  is  said  of  Moses  by  the  Author  of 
this  Epistle,  Esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt.  The  whole  force 
of  this  objection  may  be  taken  away  if  we  consider, 
that  the  ancestors  of  the  Jews  from  the  very  first  had 
the  promise  of  a  Messiah,  or  a  great  deliverer,  who 
was  to  be  born  of  their  nation.  Thus,  Abraham  re- 
joiced to  see  his  day,  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.% 
And  what  Abraham  saw  or  foresaw  Moses  might  al- 
so see.  Taking  the  passage  in  this  view,  a  very 
learned  Commentator  paraphrases  it  as  follows. 
"  Esteeming  the  reproach  he  should  suffer  for  his 
"  faith  in  a  Messiah  to  come  more  valuable  and  more 
<c  worthy  to  be  chosen  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt." 

1  Pet.  i.  11.  Searching  what,  or  what  manner  of 
time,  the  Spirit  of  Christ  which  was  in  them  did  sig- 
?iify,  when  it  testified  beforehand  the  sufferings  of 
Christ,  and  the  glory  that  should  follow.  Some  have 
endeavoured  to  form  an  argument  for  our  Lord's 
pre-existence  from  this  passage,  because  the  Spirit 
that  resided  in  the  ancient  prophets,  who  lived  long 
before  he  was  born,  is  here  called  the  Spirit  of 
Christ. 

But  this  way  of  speaking  may  be  accounted  for 
without  having  recourse  to  this  supposition.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  Spirit  of  God,  or  the  holy  Spirit, 
was  something  conferred  upon  our  Lord  himself  at 
his  baptism,  when  it  descended  and  lighted  upon  him,\ 
and  consequently  it  did  not  belong  to  him  necessari 

*  John  via.  56. 
f  Math.  Hi.  16.     Mark  i.  10      I.uke  iii  22.     John  i.  32,  33 


156  A  REPLY  TO 

ly,  nor  was  inherent  in  him.  If  this  had  been  the 
case,  there  would  have  been  no  occasion  for  God  to 
have  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  holy  Ghost, 
and  with  power*  The  Divine  Spirit  in  the  prophets 
appears  therefore,  to  be  called  the  Spirit  of  Christ  by- 
way of  anticipation,  as  it  was  that  Spirit  that  after- 
wards most  eminently  resided  in  Christ,  and  was  by 
his  instrumentality  conferred  on  his  followers  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  and  at  other  times.  And  Peter, 
who  might  be  in  the  habit,  as  well  as  some  other  of 
the  Apostles,  of  sometimes  styling  this  divine  com- 
munication the  Spirit  of  Christ,  might  do  it  in  this 
sense,  or  from  custom,  in  the  present  case. 

1  Peter  iii.  19,  20.  By  which  also  he  (Christ) 
went  and  preached  unto  the  spirits  in  prison  ;  which 
sometime  were  disobedient ;  when  once  the  long-suffer- 
ing of  God  waited  in  the  days  of  Noah,  while  the  ark 
was  a  prepar'mg,  wherein  few,  that  is,  eight  souls, 
were  saved  by  water. 

There  is  a  considerable  degree  of  obscurity  in  this 
passage  which  of  course  has  given  room  for  a  variety 
of  interpretations.  Some  of  the  early  christian  wri- 
ters imagined  that  Christ  went  literally  to  hell,  or 
hades,  and  preached  his  Gospel  there  to  departed 
souls.  But  others,  who  do  not  adopt  this  extrava- 
gant notion,  conceive  this  passage  to  be  a  proof  that 
Christ  existed  in  the  days  of  Noah. 

I  apprehend,  however,  that  this  text  will  afford  a 
very  insufficient  basis  for  this  opinion,  whatever  may 
be  the  true  interpretation  of  it.  For  observe,  in  the 
verse  immediately  preceding,  it  is  affirmed  of  Christ, 
that  he  was  put  to  death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by 
the  Spirit,  and  then  it  follows,  by  which  (Spirit)  also 
he  went  and  preached,  tsfc. 

Now  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  the  Spirit  by  which 
Christ  was  quickened  or  brought  to  life  again,  was 

*  Acts  x.  38. 


Arian  objections.  157 

the  divine  Spirit,  or  power  of  God.  It  is  also  certain 
that  this  Spirit  was  a  divine  gift  or  power,  not  a  part 
of  our  Lord's  person,  but  a  qualification  annexed  or 
or  super-added  to  it ;  and  Peter  asserts,  that  it  was 
by  this  Spirit  also  that  he  went  and  preached  to  the 
spirits  in  prison,  whatever  these  spirits  were. 

Some  learned  and  judicious  persons  apply  this  pas- 
sage to  the  Gentile  idolaters  who,  before  their  con- 
version to  Christianity,  are  said  (Eph.  ii.  1.)  to  have 
been  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  concerning 
whom  it  is  farther  affirmed,  ver.  4,  tf.  But  God 
Ssfe. — hath  quickened  us  together  ivith  Christ,  &c. 
And  Peter  himself  says  (1  Epistle,  iv.  6.)  in  lan- 
guage similar  to  that  of  Paul.  For,  for  this  cause 
was  the  gospel  preached  also  to  them  that  are  dead,  that 
they  might  be  judged  according  to  men  in  the  flesh,  but 
live  according  to  God  in  the  spirit.  In  like  manner 
the  prophet  Isaiah  (xlii.  6,  7.)  speaking  of  the  Mes- 
siah converting  the  Gentiles  says.  /  JEHOVAH 
have  called  thee  in  righteousness,  and  will  hold  thine 
hand,  and  will  keep  thee,  and  give  thee  for  a  covenant 
of  the  people,  for  a  light  of  the  Gentiles  ;  to  open  the 
blind  eyes,  to  bring  out  the  prisoners  from  the  prison, 
and  the?n  that  sit  in  darkness  out  of  the  prison-house. 

These,  with  similar  expressions  elsewhere  found,* 
may  guide  us  to  the  most  probable  interpretation  of 
this  dark  passage,  as  signifying,  that  the  same  Spirit 
which  dwelt  in  Christ,  resided  in  his  Apostles  after 
him,  by  whom,  as  his  agents  and  ministers,  he  went 
and  preached  to  the  Gentiles,  who,  for  their  idola- 
try and  other  scandalous  vices  before  their  conver- 
sion to  Christianity,  are  compared  to  that  licentious 
and  abandoned  race  of  men  in  the  antedeluvian 
world,  concerning  whom  Jehovah,  with  much  long- 
•suffering,  said,  My  spirit  shall  'not  always  strive  with 

*  Compare  Isaiah  ix.  2.     xlix.  8,  9.     lxi.  1  to  3.     Math.  iv.  6. 
Lufcfei.  79.     1  Tim  iii.  16. 


158  A  REPLY  TO  &C. 

man, — yet  his  days  shall  be  an  hundred  and  twenty 
years,  and  who,  notwithstanding  this  long  term  grant- 
ed for  their  repentance,  and  the  endeavours  of  Noah 
(2  Pet.  ii.  5.)  a  preacher  of  righteousness  to  reclaim 
them,  persisted  in  their  ungodly  practices ;  and  were 
therefore  all  deservedly  destroyed  (Luke  xvii.  26,  27.) 
by  a  tremendous  flood  ;  leaving  to  all  future  genera- 
tions an  awful  example  of  the  divine  justice  and  ven- 
geance against  hardened  and  impenitent  transgres- 
sors. 

To  JEHOVAH,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gra- 
cious, long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness  and 
truth,  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity, 
and  transgression  and  sin  ;  but  whose  wrath  is  reveal- 
ed from  heaven  against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteous- 
ness of  men,  who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness ; 
be  ascribed  glory  and  praise,  in  the  name  of  the  man 
Christ  Jesus  his  once  suffering  but  now  highly  exalted 
Son,  who  is  ever  to  be  confessed  and  reverenced  as 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father.  Amen.  Exod. 
xxxiv.  6,  7.  Rom.  i.  J  8.  Phil.  ii.  11. 


DISSERTATION  XL 

A  REPLY 
TO  ARIAN  OBJECTIONS. 

1   TIMOTHY  H.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

W  E  come  now  in  prosecution  of  our  plan  to  give 
an  explication  of  those  passages  of  Scripture,  which 
are  urged  by  the  advocates  of  Arianism,  as  declaring 
or  implying,  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  sup- 
posed pre-existent  state  was  employed  as  an  agent  or 
instrument  in  the  formation  of  the  world  or  first  cre- 
ation. The  passages  that  have  been  urged  in  this 
way  are  five  in  number,  viz.  John  i.  1,2,  &c.  Eph. 
iii.  9.  Col.  i.  15,  16,  &c.  Heb.  i.  1,  2.  Heb.  i. 
10,  11,  12.  Each  of  these  passages  we  shall  take 
under  consideration,  and  point  out  what  appears  to 
us  to  be  the  true  sense  of  them. 

We  begin  with  the  first  mentioned.  John  i.  1,2, 
&c.  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word 
was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same 
was  in  the  beginning  with  God.     All  things  were  made 


3  60  A  REPLY  TO 

by  him  ;  and  without  him  was  not  any  thing  made  that 
was  made. 

Before  we  enter  into  any  particular  remarks  upon 
these  words,  we  shall  offer  a  few  general  observa- 
tions. It  is  highly  improbable,  if  not  impossible, 
that  John  should  have  intended  to  inculcate  any  other 
doctrine  but  that  which  had  been  already  delivered 
by  the  preceding  Evangelists.  Matthew,  Mark,  and 
Luke  uniformly  represent  Jesus  as  an  eminent  pro- 
phet, upon  whom  the  holy  Spirit  had  descended ;  as 
the  promised  Messiah,  or  the  Christ  the  Son  of  the 
living  God,  who  performed  a  variety  of  miracles,  and 
taught  many  important  doctrines.  But  they  never 
drop  the  least  hint  that  he  was  employed  as  an  agent 
in  the  creation  of  the  world,  which  it  is  scarcely  to 
be  thought  they  could  have  avoided  doing  in  some 
parts  of  their  writings,  and  upon  some  particular 
occasions,  if  this  notion  had  been  founded  in  truth. 

Nor  does  John  himself  (this  passage  excepted) 
ever  afford  the  least  colour  for  such  a  thought.  On 
the  contrary,  he  has  in  various  parts  of  his  Gospel, 
more  than  any  other  of  the  Evangelists,  recorded 
those  discourses  of  Christ  which  are  quite  incompati- 
ble with  an  idea  of  this  kind.  John  describes  our 
Lord,  as  saying,  v.  30,  /  can  of  mine  own  self  do  no- 
thing, &c.  vii.  16. — my  doctrine  is  not  mine,  but  his 
that  sent  me.  xii.  49.  For  I  have  not  spoken  of  my- 
self;  but  the  Father  which  sent  me  he  gave  me  a  com- 
mandment, what  I  should  say,  and  what  I  should  speak. 
xiv.  10. — the  words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  I  speak  not 
of  myself:  but  the  Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth 
the  works.  These  sayings  of  Jesus,  and  many  others 
of  a  like  kind,  which  John  has  related,  are  by  no 
means  suitable  to  the  explications  that  the  Arians 
give  us  of  the  introduction  to  his  Gospel. 

If  there  is  any  uncertainty  about  the  sense  of  a 
writer,  what  he  means  or  refers  to,  the  safest  way 


Arian  objections.  161 

surely  is  to  look  to  other  parts  of  his  writings,  and 
to  make  use  of  them  in  determining  the  meaning  of 
a  passage  which  has  any  obscurity  or  ambiguity  in  it. 
But  that  John  could  not  intend  to  give  his  readers  to 
understand  that  Christ  was  the  instrumental  maker 
of  the  world  is  evident  from  those  parts  of  his  Gos- 
pel that  we  have  already  quoted,  and  if  possible, 
still  more  so,  from  the  following  remarkable  passage 
towards  the  conclusion  of  it,  in  which  he  assigns  the 
reasons  or  motives  that  induced  him  to  compose  his 
Gospel.  John  xx.  30,  31.  And  many  other  signs 
truly  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  his  disciples,  which 
are  not  written  in  this  book.  But  these  are  written, 
that  ye  might  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of 
God,  and  that  believing  ye  might  have  life  through  his 
name. 

From  this  passage,  it  is  perfectly  clear,  that  the 
great  end  John  had  in  view  in  all  that  he  records 
concerning  our  Lord  was  to  prove,  that  he  was  the 
Messiah,  or  anointed  Son  of  God,  and  therefore  he 
could  never  intend  in  the  beginning  of  his  Gospel  to 
point  him  out  under  a  character  quite  different  from 
this,  viz.  as  "  the  creator  or  former  of  the  world," 
or  "  the  Universe."  For  to  be  the  anointed  Son  of 
God  is  a  human  character  and  points  plainly  at  a  Be- 
ing in  the  condition  of  a  man  :  but  to  be  "  the  creator 
of  the  world,"  or  "  the  Universe,"  though  in  a 
subordinate  capacity,  implies  something  far  trans- 
cending human  nature  and  inconsistent  with  it. 

It  is  not,  therefore,  fair  to  affix  an  arbitrary  mean- 
ing to  the  words  of  John,  but  to  explain  every  part 
of  his  Gospel  in  a  consistency  with  his  own  plain 
and  express  declarations,  and  according  to  the  ac- 
counts given  us  by  the  other  Evangelists. 

Having  made  these  general  observations,  let  us  ex- 
amine the  words  of  John  as  they  stand  in  his  Gos- 
pel. 

Y 


Ib2  A   REPLY  TO 

Ver.  1 .  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word.  The  first 
point  that  is  to  be  determined  here  is  what  John 
means  by  the  Word.  The  Arians  say,  that  he  means 
the  person  of  Jesus  Christ  in  his  pre-existent  state, 
as  existing  in  the  beginning,  or  before  the  formation 
of  all  things,  in  a  state  of  great  glory,  dignity  and 
happiness.  But  I  apprehend  that  they  are  here  mis- 
taken, and  that  John  by  the  Logos,  or  Word,  does 
not  mean  a  person  at  all,  but  an  attribute  or  quality 
in  the  divine  nature. 

It  is  well  known  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with 
the  Greek  language,  that  the  term  Logos  signifies 
Reason  as  well  as  the  Word.  The  English  reader 
may  be  made  sensible  of  the  truth  of  this  observa- 
tion, if  he  considers  the  meaning  of  the  word  Logic 
in  our  language,  which  is  derived,  or  formed,  from 
the  Greek  word  Locos.  Every  one  that  understands 
English  knows  that  Logic  signifies  reasoning,  or  the 
art  of  reasoning.  Of  consequence  it  will  appear  that 
the  Greek  word  Logos  may  signify  Reason.  And 
that  it  does  have  this  meaning  is  most  certain,  and  is 
acknowledged  by  Tertullian  an  ancient  Trinitarian 
Father,  who  contends  that  this  is  its  most  precise 
and  exact  meaning  when  applied  to  God ;  and  that 
the  term  Logos  should  be  translated  Reason  and  not 
Speech,  or  Word. 

It  has  also  been  remarked  by  several  Christian  in- 
terpreters that  John  here  alludes  to  Prov.  viii.  22, 
&c.  where  Solomon  speaking  of  Wisdom  says,  Jehovah 
possessed  me  in  the  beginning  of  his  way,  before  his 
works  of  old..  I  was  set  up  from  everlasting,  from  the 
beginning,  or  ever  the  earth  was,  &c.  and  describes 
this  wisdom,  as  superintending  and  directing  all  the 
various  parts  of  nature  in  their  formation  and  ap- 
pointment. Now  the  wisdom  mentioned  by  Solomon 
is  undoubtedly  no  person,  but  merely  an  attribute  of 
the   divine   nature ;    for   Solomon    speaking  of   it, 


Arian  objections.  163 

ver.  12  of  the  same  chapter  says,  /  wisdom  dwell 
with  -prudence,  and  find  out  knowledge  of  witty  inven- 
tions ;  and  elsewhere  represents  it  under  such  images 
and  characters,  as  plainly  show  he  had  no  person,  or 
intelligent  agent  in  view.  If  then  the  wisdom  men- 
tioned by  Solomon  be  no  person,  but  an  attribute,  it 
is  reasonable  to  understand  the  Logos  or  Reason  that 
John  mentions  as  being  no  person  either,  but  merely 
an  attribute  or  property  in  the  divine  nature. 

And  the  Word  was  with  God.  The  Arians  say,  that 
this  expression  means,  that  the  Word,  or  pre-existent 
spirit  of  Christ,  was  with  the  Father;  or  was  present 
with  him  as  one  person  is  present  with  another.  But 
we  affirm,  according  to  the  explication  that  we  have 
given  of  the  term  Logos,  that  Reason,  or  Wisdom  was 
with  God,  that  is,  existed  in  him  as  an  attribute;  God 
being  the  source  and  fountain  of  all  Wisdom,  and  pos- 
sessing it  in  the  highest  perfection  before  any  dis- 
play of  it  was  made  in  the  formation  of  any  crea- 
ture. 

And  the  Word  was  God.  Here  the  Arians  are  sen- 
sible, that  one  God,  and  another  God  with  him,  if 
there  be  any  truth  in  numbers,  make  two  Gods;  and 
therefore  they  are  for  taking  the  term  God  when  ap- 
plied to  the  Word,  in  a  restrained  and  limited  signifi- 
cation, as  importing,  that  the  Word  was  a  God,  or  a. 
divine  person,  in  the  inferior  sense.  But  how  does 
this  interpretation  tally  with  the  general  doctrine  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  ? 

It  is  the  uniform  language  of  the  Scriptures,  thai 
there  is  one  God,  and  none  else  besides  him  ;  and  that 
Jehovah  alone,  or  the  Father,  is  that  one  God.  Psah 
lxxxi.  8  to  10.  Hear,  0  my  people,  and  I  will  testify 
unto  thee :  0  Israel,  if  thou  wilt  hearken  unto  me  ;  There 
shall  no  strange  god  be  in  thee :  neither  shalt  thou  wor- 
ship any  strange  god.  I  AM  JEHOVAH  THY  GOD 
which  brought  thee  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt;  open  thy 


ifc>4  A   REPLY  TO 

mouth  wide,  and  I  will  Jill  it.  Isa.  xliv.  6, — 8.  Thus 
saith  JEHOVAH  the  King  of  Israel,  and  his  redeemer 
the  LORD  of  hosts,  I  am  the  first,  and  I  am  the  last, 
and  besides  me  there  is  no  God. Is  there  a  God  be- 
sides me?  yea,  there  is  no  God ;  I  know  not  any.  John 
xvii.  3.  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know 
thee  (the  Father)  the  only  true  God,  life. 

And  yet  according  to  this  Arian  interpretation 
there  is  a  God,  though  an  inferior  one,  besides  Jeho- 
vah the  God  and  Father  of  all !  There  is  a  person 
called  God,  who  is  really  God  or  a  God  though  in  a 
subordinate  sense,  manifestly  contradictory  to  the  as- 
sertions of  Jehovah  himself,  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  as  recorded  by  the  sacred  writers.  We  grant 
that  this  Arian  interpretation  is  better  than  the  Tri- 
nitarian. The  idea  of  an  inferior  God,  does  not  shock 
the  feelings  of  the  human  mind,  so  much  as  the  no- 
tion of  two  supreme  or  co-equal  Gods.  But  still  it  is 
a  multiplication  of  divinity  inconsistent  with  the  plain 
and  positive  declarations  of  Scripture.  The  sacred 
writers  never  make  any  distinction  of  true  Gods. 
They  never  speak  of  one  great  God,  and  another  in- 
ferior or  subordinate  deity :  but  always  declare  that 
Jehovah,  or  the  Father,  is  God  alone,  without  any  other 
to  whom  the  title  can  be  applied  in  a  proper  sense. 
Angels,  Governors,  and  Magistrates,  are  indeed 
called  gods,  but  here  the  word  is  used  so  obviously 
lax  that  it  can  mislead  nobody.  But  the  Arians  sup- 
pose the  Logos  to  be  the  pre-existent  spirit  of  Christ, 
and  to  be  called  God  in  a  real  though  inferior  sense 
before  the  creation  of  the  world, — a  notion  that  can 
never  be  reconciled  to  the  general  doctrine  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament. 

This  Arian  interpretation  therefore,  cannot  be  ad- 
mitted, and  we  must  find  a  sense  of  the  words  of  our 
Evangelist  better  suited  to  the  analogy  of  Jewish  and 
Christian  Divinity.    And  Reason  or  Wisdom  was  God. 


Arian  objections.  lov; 

It  existed  in  God  as  its  sovereign  source.  It  was  the 
spring  of  action  in  the  Deity,  that  governed  and  di- 
rected all  the  divine  counsels. 

Ver.  2.  The  sa?ne  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 
This  is  a  repetition  of  what  had  been  said  before,  in 
order  to  fix  our  attention  the  more,  and  prevent  mis- 
take; denoting  that  Reason  or  Wisdom  had  its  resi- 
dence with  God  before  any  part  of  nature  was  form- 
ed. And  this  is  similar  to  the  words  of  Solomon,  who 
describes  Wisdom  as  existing,  from  the  beginning,  or 
ever  the  earth  was,  and  in  many  other  expressions  of 
a  like  nature. 

Ver.  3.  All  things  were  made  by  him  ;  and  without 
him  was  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made.  The 
Arians  say  here,  that  the  pre- existent  spirit  of  Christ 
was  employed  as  an  agent  or  instrument  in  the  crea- 
tion of  all  the  different  parts  of  nature.  But  this  no- 
tion of  an  inferior  Creator  is  as  different  from  the  ge- 
neral doctrine  of  the  Scriptures  as  that  of  an  inferior 
God.  The  Scriptures  declare  in  various  places,  that 
Jehovah  the  heavenly  Father  made  heaven  and  earth, 
the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  by  his  own  power  and 
energy  ;  but  speak  of  no  subordinate  instrument  or 
operator  as  concurring  with  him  in  the  superlatively 
glorious  work.  Indeed,  Creation  is  such  an  effort  of 
Omnipotence,  that  it  seems  to  be  a  power  quite  in- 
communicable in  a  proper,  adequate  sense. 

Here  then,  I  apprehend,  we  are  warranted  to  in- 
terpret the  words  of  John  as  follows.  All  things  were 
made  by  the  Divine  Reason,  or  Wisdom,  and  without  it 
was  not  any  thing  made  that  was  made.  That  is  to  say, 
— Every  thing  was  made  in  number,  weight,  and 
measure,  or  according  to  the  rules  of.  the  most  exqui- 
site wisdom,  harmony,  and  order. 

In  the  same  manner  is  to  be  explained  the  jQih 
verse.  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by 
him,  and  the  world  knew  him  nst.     That  is  to  say, — ■ 


166  A   REPLY  TO 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  whom  the  Divine  Reason  or 
Wisdom  resided,  was  in  the  worlds  and  the  world  was 
made,  or  framed,  by  that  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom 
that  was  imparted  to  him,  though  the  world  knew 
it  not,  or  did  not  discover  its  brightness  in  him. 

Ver.  1 4.  And  the  Word  was  made  flesh,  and  dwelt 
among  us,  (and  we  beheld  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father  J  full  of  grace  and  truth. 
The  true  meaning  of  which  appears  to  be  this.  And 
the  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdo?n  was  communicated  to 
flesh  or  imparted  to  the  man  Jesus  Christ,  who  re- 
ceived the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  without  measure,  and  this 
signal  gift  of  Divine  Wisdom  among  the  rest,  and  we 
beheld  the  glory  of  the  Divine  Wisdom  shining  through 
him,  and  appearing  in  all  his  words,  actions,  dis- 
courses, and  miracles,  as  a  glory  worthy  of,  or  suita- 
ble to,  the  only  begotten,  or  well-beloved  of  the 
Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth  or  true  grace. 

Having  now  explained  the  most  difficult  places  of 
this  introduction  to  John's  Gospel ;  in  order  to  make 
the  sense  appear  still  clearer,  we  shall  give  an  im- 
proved translation  of  the  first  fourteen  verses  taken 
in  connection,  with  a  paraphrase  annexed  to  every 
verse. 

1 .  In  the  beginning  was  Reason,  or  Wisdom;  and  Rea- 
son, or  Wisdom,  was  with  God  ;  and  Reason^  or  Wisdom. 
was  God. 

1 .  There  existed  before  the  creation  of  this  visible 
world,  a  principle  of  supreme  Reason,  Intelligence, 
or  Wisdom.  And  this  Reason,  or  Wisdom,  was  al- 
ways inseparably  united  to  the  Deity,  and  formed  a 
necessary  part  of  his  sovereign  and  eternal  nature: 
it  was  not  any  thing  distinct  from  him,  like  the  hea- 
then Minerva,  or  goddess  of  wisdom ;  or  like  any  of 
the  Gnostic  emanations;  but  to  speak  properly  it 
uras  God  himself. 


Arian  objections.  167 

2.    'I  he  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God. 

2.  This  principle,  or  attribute,  resided  only  with 
God,  before  any  display  of  it  was  made  in  the  work 
of  creation,  or  the  dispensation  of  grace. 

3.  All  things  were  made  by  it ;  and  without  it  was 
not  any  th'mg  made  that  was  made. 

3.  The  heavens  and  the  earth  and  whatever  they 
contain,  were  formed,  adjusted,  and  harmonized  ac- 
cording to  the  rules  of  the  most  perfect  Reason. 
Creation  was  not  the  work  of  chance  or  caprice,  fate 
or  blind  destiny,  but  the  foreordained  plan  and  vo- 
luntary operation  of  an  infinitely  wise  and  discerning- 
mind  j  in  all  its  various  parts,  forms,  and  degrees. 

4.  In  it  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men. 

4.  There  was  only  lodged  in  this  Divine  Reason 
or  Wisdom,  the  knowledge  of  the  way  of  attaining 
eternal  life,  and  this  knowledge  when  communicated 
became  the  light  or  instruction  of  men. 

5.  And.  the  light  shineth  in  darkness  and  the  dark- 
ness comprehendeth  it  not. 

5.  That  light  appeared  to  the  human  race  either 
by  the  manifestation  of  natural  reason,  which  is  a  ray 
derived  from  the  supreme  source  of  Wisdom  ;  or 
more  properly  by  supernatural  revelation;  but  the 
human  race  blinded  by  error,  vice,  and  superstition, 
did  not^perceive  or  comprehend  this  divine  light,  or 
profit  by  it. 

6,  7.  There  was  a  man  sent  from  God,  his  name 
was  John.  The  same  came  for  a  witness,  to  bear  witness 
of  the  light,  that  all  men  through  him  might  believe. 

6,  7.  John  the  baptist,  the  forerunner  of  Jesus, 
was  sent  by  God,  to  bear  his  testimony  to  that  su- 
perior light  of  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom  that  was 
to  come  after  him,  and  to  induce  the  Jewish  nation 
to  give  credit  to  it. 

8.  He  was  not  that  light,  but  was  sent  to  bear  wit- 
ness concerning  that  light. 


168  A   REPLY  TO 

8.  But  this  divine  light  did  not  reside  in  the  per 
son  of  John  ;  though  he  was  styled  in  other  respects 
a  burning  and  a  shining  light  *  The  end  and  intention 
of  John's  mission  was  only  to  prepare  the  way  for, 
and  procure  a  more  favourable  reception  to  that  per- 
son who  possessed  this  divine  light. 

9.  That  light  was  the  true  light,  which  coining  into 
the  world,  enlightcneth  every  man. 

9.  In  that  man,  viz.  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  resided 
that  supereminent  and  excellent  light  which  alone 
deserves  to  be  called  the  true  light,  and  which  when 
it  came  into  the  world  was  capable  of  enlightening 
whoever  would  attend  to  it  or  follow  its  direction. 

10.  Reason,  or  Wisdom,  was  in  the  world,  and  the 
world  was  made  by  it,  and  the  world  knew  it  not. 

10.  This  Divine  Reason,  this  supreme  Wisdom 
by  which  the  world  was  framed,  appeared  visibly 
amongst  men  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  was 
so  eminently  endued  with  it ;  but  notwithstanding 
this  divine  principle  conversed  with  them  so  long,  a 
numerous  majority,  insensible  of  its  worth,  or  har- 
dened by  their  lusts  and  prejudices,  refused  to  listen 
to  its  dictates,  and  rejected  the  ministry  of  him  by 
whom  it  was  manifested. 

11.  It  came  unto  its  czvn,  but  its  own  received  it 
not. 

11.  Though  the  excellent  person  in  whom  tl;~s  di- 
vine principle  of  Reason  resided,  came  on  a  particu- 
lar and  gracious  embassy  to  those,  who  were  by  pro- 
fession the  peculiar  people  and  the  heritage  of  Jeho- 
vah, yet,  they  impiously  and  wantonly  rejected  the 
doctrine  of  that  God  with  whom  they  were  in  cove- 
nant, and  slighted  the  message  of  his  chosen  mi- 
nister. 

1 2.  But  to  as  many  as  received  it,  to  them  it  gave 

*  John  v  35 


Arian  objections.  169 

power  to  become  the  sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  be- 
lieve on  its  name. 

12.  But  all  that  received  Jesus  as  the  promised  and 
expected  Messiah^  and  embraced  with  cordiality  the 
divine  and  rational  doctrines  of  Christianity,  had  the 
exalted  privilege  conferred  upon  them  of  becoming  the 
sons  of  God,  by  adoption,*  were  made  fellow  citizens 
with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household  of 'God  ;f  and  this 
was  the  inestimable  advantage  they  derived  from  their 
belief  and  virtuous  practice. 

13.  Who  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of 
the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God. 

1 3.  This  new-birth,  or  honourable  change  of  state, 
was  not  the  consequence  of  their  being  descended 
from  Jewish  ancestors,  nor  acquired  by  alliances  con- 
tracted with  that  people,  nor  by  becoming  proselytes 
to  their  religion,  nor  by  any  carnal  effort  whatever  ; 
but  was  the  free  gift  of  God,  upon  their  cordial  be- 
lief and  reception  of  his  message  by  his  son  Jesus 
the  Messiah. 

14,  And  Reason,  or  Wisdom,  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us,  {and  we  beheld  its  glory,  the  glory  as 
of  the  only  begotten  of  (or  from)  the  Father)  full  of  grace 
and  truth. 

14.  The  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom  of  which  I 
have  all  along  been  speaking,  which  was  in  the  be- 
ginning with  God  and  was  God  himself,  and  in  which 
was  life  and  the  light  of  men,  did  not  always  remove 
itself  from  human  observation,  but  was  largely  im- 
parted to  the  man  Jesus  Christ,  appeared  gloriously 
and  conspicuously  in  him  during  the  course  of  his 
public  ministry,  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  gifts 
of  the  Spirit  of  God;{  and  as  a  glory  becoming  the 
well-beloved  of  the  Father,  adorned  with  the  mosf: 
signal  gifts  and  graces. 

T  Rom.  viii.  14.  to  21.         f  Eph.  ii.  19.         \  Isa.  xi.  1  to  3. 

Z 


170  A   REPLY  TO 

From  the  explication  and  paraphrase  we  have  given 
of  this  passage,  I  think  it  is  apparent,  that  the  inter- 
preting the  words  of  John,  as  respecting  the  mani- 
festation of  the  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom,  first  in  the 
original  creation,  and  afterwards  by  the  Gospel  in  the 
person  and  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ,  affords  a  very 
noble  sense. — A  sense  which  brings  John  and  the 
other  evangelists  into  perfect  harmony  with  one  an- 
other, and  will  be  found  edifying  and  useful  in  a  high 
degree. 

It  is  a  strong  and  sublime  idea  conceived  in  the 
eastern  style  and  manner  of  thinking,  and  yet  philo- 
sophically true;  representing  Reason  or  Wisdom  as 
existing  with  the  Deity,  yea,  as  the  Deity  himself, 
exerting  an  universal  agency,  and  appearing  equally 
conspicuous  in  the  works  of  nature  and  in  the  dispen- 
sation of  grace. 

It  is  evidently  derived  from  the  diction  of  the  Old 
Testament,  from  which  it  is  natural  to  think  John 
should  take  his  ideas,  and  form  his  sentiments  con- 
cerning God. — In  particular,  it  is  correspondent  to 
the  words  of  Solomon,  before  quoted,  and  referred 
to  ;  and  to  those  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah  who  speak- 
ing of  God  (chap.  x.  12.)  says,  He  hath  made  the 
earth  by  his  power,  he  hath  established  the  world  by 
his  wisdom ,  and  hath  stretched  out  the  heavens  by  his 
discretion.  In  like  manner  David  says,  Psal.  xxxiii. 
u, — 9.  By  the  word  (Septuagint,  °  *«**)  of  Jehovah 
were  the  heavens  made  :  and  all  the  host  of  them  by  the 
breath  of  his  mouth.— For  he  spake,  and  it  was  done  ; 
he  commanded,  and  it  stood  fast. 

From  what  has  been  said,  it  is  obvious  to  remark, 
that  the  words  of  John  in  the  introduction  to  his 
Gospel  are  by  no  means  so  well  translated  in  our 
version  as  they  shnuld  be.  In  the  old  English  trans- 
lation, that  was  used  in  England,  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time,  the  words  are  rendered  far  nearer  to  the  true 


Arian  objections.  i    171 

That  translation  renders,  John  i.  1,2,  3,  4, — 14, 
as  follows.  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the 
Word  was  with  God,  and  God  was  that  Word.  The  same 
was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All  things  were  ?nade  by 
it,  and  without  it,  was  made  nothing  that  was  made.  In 
it  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.  And  the 
same  word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we 
saw  the  glory  of  it,  as  the  glory  of  the  only  begotten 
Son  that  ca?ne  from  the  Father)  full  of  grace  and  truth. 

This  old  English  translation  would  far  sooner  lead 
one  to  the  true  interpretation  than  our  present  ver- 
sion. 

To  JEHOVAH,  the  only  living  and  true  God,  by 
whose  supreme,  eternal  reason,  wisdom  and  intelli- 
gence, all  thmgs  in  the  first,  original  creation  were 
made,  and  whose  power  and  wisdom  appeared  so 
gloriously  in  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  his  gracious  in- 
strument in  the  Gospel  or  new  creation,  be  ascribed 
the  glory  ever  due  to  his  sacred  and  blessed  name. 
Amen. 


DISSERTATION  XII. 

A  REPLY 
TO  ARIAN  OBJECTIONS- 

1   TIMOTHY  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus, 

WE  proceed  to  examine  the  other  passages  urged 
by  the  advocates  of  Arianism,  as  asserting,  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  supposed  pre-existent  state 
was  employed  as  an  agent  or  instrument  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  world  or  first  creation. 

Ephes.  iii.  9.  And  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the 
fellowship  of  the  mystery,  which  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world  hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created  all  things, 
"  by  Jesus  Christ."  The  objection  is  founded  upon 
the  last  clause  of  the  verse,  viz.  who  created  all  things 
"  by  Jesus  Christ."  As  to  it,  I  observe,  that  if  the 
words  "  by  Jesus  Christ"  were  genuine,  they  could 
not  with  propriety,  in  the  connection  in  which  they 
stand,  be  referredtto  the  first  or  original  creation  ;  but 
ought  to  be  explained  as  respecting  the  new  creation, 
or  renovation  of  the  world,  by  Jesus  Christ.     This 


Arian  objections.  173 

will  appear  if  we  attentively  consider  the  context. 
The  Apostle  speaks  in  the  second  verse  of  this  third 
chapter  of  the  dispensation  of  the  grace  of  God  which 
was  given  him,  and  in  the  fourth,  of  his  knowledge  in 
the  mystery  of  Christ ;  and  proceeds  in  the  verses  that 
come  between  that  and  the  eighth  verse  to  express 
himself  as  follows,  Which  in  other  ages  was  not  made 
known  unto  the  sons  of  men,  as  it  is  now  revealed  unto 
his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit ;  that  the 
Gentiles  should  be  fellow  heirs,  and  of  the  same  body, 
and  partakers  of  his  promise  in  Christ  by  the  Gospel : 
Whereof  I  was  ?nade  a  minister  according  to  the  gift  of 
the  grace  of  God  given  unto  me  ;  by  the  effectual  work- 
ing of  his  power.  Unto  me,  who  am  less  than  the  least 
of  all  saints,  is  this  grace  given,  that  I  should  preach 
among  the  Gentiles  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 
And  then  he  adds  in  the  words  we  are  just  now  treat- 
ing of,  And  to  make  all  men  see  what  is  the  fellowship 
of  the  mystery,  which  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
hath  been  hid  in  God,  who  created  all  things  "  by  Jesus 
Christ." 

The  words,  who  created  all  things  "by  Jesus  Christ," 
have  no  proper  connection  with  the  Apostle's  dis- 
course, if  we  refer  them  to  the  first  creation  ;  for  the 
Apostle  is  not  speaking  of  the  original  formation  of 
the  world  but  of  God's  purpose  of  calling  the 
Gentiles  ;  the  knowledge  of  which  was  not  commu- 
nicated to  men  in  former  ages,  as  it  was  then  reveal- 
ed unto  his  holy  apostles  and  prophets  by  the  Spirit.. 
The  words  therefore  "  by  Jesus  Christ,"  coming  af- 
ter who  created  all  things,  if  genuine,  must  be  inter- 
preted according  to  the  subject  of  the  Apostle's  dis- 
course, and  so  will  apply  to  the  calling  of  the  Gen- 
tiles ;  or  the  union  of  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  by 
Jesus  Christ  under  a  new  and  spiritual  constitution, 
styled  the  new  creation.     This  would  be  the  proper 


174  A  REPLY  TO 

explication  of  the  words,  and  is  granted  to  be  so  by 
some  very  skilful  interpreters  of  Scripture. 

But  it  ought  by  no  means  to  be  concealed,  that  we 
have  good  reason  to  reject  the  words  "  by  Jesus 
Christ,"  as  being  no  part  of  genuine  Scripture;  for 
they  are  wanting  in  some  of  the  best  and  most  ancient 
manuscripts,  in  the  most  faithful  and  ancient  ver- 
sions, in  the  writings  of  various  christian  Fathers, 
and  set  aside  by  the  consent  of  some  eminent  critics, 
even  on  the  Trinitarian  side  ;*  so  that  we  have  no 
reason  to  say  more  concerning  a  few  words,  which 
do  not  appear  to  belong  to  the  New  Testament. 

We  now  come  to  a  very  celebrated  passage,  which 
will  be  highly  worthy  of  a  particular  investigation. 

Col.  i.  15,  to  19.  Who  (Christ)  is  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  the  first  born  of  every  creature :  For  by 
him  were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven,  and 
.that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  hivisible,  whether  they 
be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  principalities,  or  powers  : 
all  things  were  created  by  him,  and  for  him.  And  he 
is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist.  And 
he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the  church  :  who  is  the  be- 
ginning, the  first  born  from  the  dead ;  that  in  all 
things  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence.  For  it  pleased 
the  Father  that  in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell. 

The  Arians  conceive,  that  this  passage  refers  to  the 
original  creation,  and  that  the  pre-existent  spirit,  or 
soul,  of  Christ  before  its  incarnation,  is  here  said  to 
have  been  under  God  the  immediate  creator  of  all 
things  in  the  Universe,  whether  of  angels,  or  spiritual 
beings  in  heaven,  or  of  men,  and  all  other  creatures, 
that  inhabit  this  earthly  globe.  They  farther  say, 
that  his  being  called  the  first  born  of  every  creature, 
implies,  that  he  was  the  first  being  whom  God  made, 
or  created,  immediately  derived  from  him,  and  his 

3   e  Discounts  on  the  Divine  Unity,  2  Edit.  Montrose  1790.  p.  '2 13,  Note 


Arian  objections.  17.3 

instrument  in  the  creation  of  all  other  beings  and  all 
other  things. 

In  opposition  to  this  exposition,  we  shall  by  pro- 
per scriptural  arguments  make  it  appear,  that  the 
whole  passage  relates  to  the  new  creation,  or  moral 
renovation  of  the  world  ;  and  with  this  view  we  shall 
go  over  it  distinctly,  and  explain  every  part  of  it  in 
connection. 

Ver.  15.  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the 
first  born  of  every  creature.  Christ  is  styled  the  image 
or  representative  of  the  invisible  God,  because  the 
Supreme  Being  whom  no  man  hath  seen,  nor  can  see*, 
was  declared  and  manifested^  by  the  wisdom,  holi- 
ness, and  power  which  were  exhibited  and  eminently 
displayed  in  the  life,  conduct,  and  miracles  of  Jesus, 
in  which  the  glory  of  the  Father  so  illustriously  ap- 
peared, that  he  who  had  seen  him  might  in  a  certain 
sense  be  said  to  have  seen  the  Father,\  by  seeing  his 
most  lively  image  among  men,  and  discovering  the 
glory  of  {he  Father  in  the  person  and  ministry  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Any  person  that  has  proper  consideration  may  ea- 
sily perceive,  that  the  image  of  the  invisible  God, 
must  be  something  different  from  the  invisible  God 
himself;  for  no  being  can  be  called  its  own  image. 
Nor  can  Christ  properly  be  styled  the  image  of  the 
invisible  God,  but  in  so  far  as  he  appeared  to  be  so 
among  men  ;  so  far  as  he  was  seen  and  beheld  as 
such,  while  he  conversed  with  mortals  and  had  his 
abode  in  this  lower  world. 

It  does  not  appear  wonderful  that  our  Lord  should 
have  a  title  of  this  kind,  when  we  find  similar  lan- 
guage used  concerning  Adam  and  all  his  posterity. 
Gen.  i.  27.  So  God  created  man  in  his  own,  image,  in 
the  image  of  God  created  he  him  :  male  and  female  ere- 

*  1  Tim.  \\  16.       ;  John  i.  18.    1  Tim  iii.  16.      *  John  xiv  9,  10. 


176  A   REPLY  TO 

aied  he  them.  Gen.  ix.  6.  Whoso  sheddeth  mail's  blood, 
by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed :  for  in  the  image  of  God 
made  he  man.  1  Cor.  xi.  7.  For  a  man  indeed  ought 
not  to  cover  his  head,  forasmuch  as  he  is  the  image  and 
glory  of  God.  James  iii.  8,  9.  But  the  tongue  can  no 
man  tame  ;  it  is  an  unruly  evil,  full  of  deadly  -poison. 
Therewith  bless  we  God,  even  the  Father  ;  and  there- 
ivitlj  curse  ive  men,  which  are  made  after  the  similitude 
of  God. 

It  is  clear  from  a  comparison  of  these  passages, 
that  Adam  at  his  creation  was  made,  and  all  mankind 
descending  from  him  are  still  made,  in  the  image,  and 
after  the  similitude  of  God,  who  is  invisible  ;  and  that 
a  good  man  in  particular,  engaged  in  religious  du- 
ties, is,  as  Paul  says,  the  image  and  glory  of  God. 
With  the  strictest  propriety  then,  may  the  man 
Christ  Jesus,  so  much  superior  to  all  the  rest  of  the 
species  in  wisdom,  holiness,  and  divine  gifts,  be  styled, 
without  any  reference  to  a  pre-existent  state,  the 
image  of  the  invisible  God  ;  yea,  as  he  is  also  styled, 
(Heb.  i.  3.)  a  ray  of  his  glory,  and  the  express,  or 
impressed,  image  of  his  person  or  substance. 

The  first  born  of  every  creature,  is  a  Hebrew  Idiom, 
or  a  Jewish  form  of  speaking,  of  the  use  of  which 
we  have  several  instances  in  the  Old  Testament.  In 
one  sense  it  signifies  like  the  similar  phrase  only  be- 
gotten, "  the  most  beloved,"  "  the  chief  favourite,'* 
or  "  one  who  is  preferred  to  all  others."  Thus  Is- 
rael and  Ephraim  are  called  the  first  born  of  God. 
Exod.  iv.  22.  And  thou  sh alt  say  unto  Pharaoh,  Thus 
saith  Jehovah,  Israel  is  my  son,  even  my  first  born' 
Jerem.  xxxi.  9.— -for  I  am  a  Father  to  Israel,  and 
Ephraim  is  my  first  born.  The  Jews  were  called  by 
this  title,  as  the  peculiar  people  of  God  and  his  true 
worshippers,  in  opposition  to  the  Gentile  world,  who 
were  in  a  state  of  idolatry  and  estrangement.  In 
like  manner  in  Psal.  Ixxxix.  27.  David  as  the  re- 


Arian  objections.  177 

presentative  of  the  Messiah  has  the  title  of  first  born 
conferred  upon  him.  He  shall  cry  unto  me,  Thou 
art  my  Father,  my  God,  and  the  rock  of  my  salvation. 
Also  I  will  make  him  my  first  born  higher  than  the  kings 
of  the  earth. 

But  there  is  a  passage  still  more  to  our  purpose  in 
Rom.  viii.  29.  For  whom  he  did  foreknow,  he  also 
did  predistinate,  to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  his 
son,  that  he  might  be  the  first  born  among  many  bre- 
thren. Here  we  find  our  Lord  plainly  styled  the  first 
born  among  many  brethren,  as  being  the  head  or  au- 
thor of  the  Christian  dispensation.  This  citation  is 
quite  applicable  to  our  subject,  and  coming  from  the 
Apostle  Paul  may  be  considered  as  a  proper  explica- 
tion of  his  own  words,  and  taken  in  connection  with 
the  acknowledged  sense  in  which  the  word  first  bom 
is  used  in  the  Old  Testament  is  sufficient  to  justify 
and  confirm  our  interpretation.  Christ  therefore  is 
styled  the  first  born  of  every  creature,  not  because  he 
was  the  first  being  whom  God  made  or  created  as 
the  Arians  say,  but  because  he  was  the  first  born 
among  many  brethren,  the  head  and  author  of  the 
new  creation  or  moral  renovation  of  the  world,  and 
the  great  leader  of  all  his  followers.* 

Ver.  16,  17.  For  by  him  were  all  things  created  that 
are  in  heaven,  and  that  are  in  earth,  visible  and  invi- 
sible, whether  they  be  thrones,  or  dominions,  or  pr'mci- 

*  It  is  not  only  in  this  passage  that  the  relation  of  the  human  spe- 
cies, particularly  believers,  to  Jesus  Christ,  as  his  brethren,  is  noted. 
We  find  this  relation  expressed  in  other  places.  Our  Lord  represents 
himself  in  his  regal  and  judicial  capacity,  as  saying  with  respect  to  the 
benevolent  actions  of  righteous  men,  Math.  xxv.  40. — In  as  much  a* 
ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done 
it  unto  vie.  In  like  manner,*  after  his  resurrection,  he  says  respecting 
his  disciples  to  Mary  Magdalene,  John  xx.  17. — go  to  my  brethren, 
and  say  unto  them,  &c.  Heb.  ii.  11,  12, — 17.  For  both  he  that  sanctifi- 
<  th,  arid  they  who  are  sanctified  arc  all  of  one,  for  which  cause  he  is  not 
ashamed  to  call  them  brethren,  saying  I  in  ill  declare  thy  name  unto 
my  brethren,  &c. —  Wherefore  in  all  things  it  behoved  him  to  he  made 
like  unto  his  brethren. 

A  A 


]  78  A  REPLY  TO 

polities i  or  powers  :  all  things  were  created  by  him,  and 
for  him.  That  the  creation  of  the  world  is  not  here 
meant  or  intended  may  be  proved  by  some  very 
strong  and  good  arguments. 

1.  He  who  is  called  the  first  born  of  every  creature, 
which  form  of  expression  we  have  before  explained, 
is  the  same  person,  concerning  whom  it  is  said  in  the 
1 4th  verse  of  this  chapter.  In  whom  we  have  redemp- 
tion through  his  blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  And 
this  person  can  be  no  other  than  the  man  Christ 
Jesus,  who  appeared  and  acted  in  this  world  as  a  man, 
and  shed  his  blood  for  the  benefit  of  mankind.  Now 
it  is  affirmed,  that  by  this  man  Christ  Jesus,  God's 
dear  Son,  all  things  were  created  that  are  in  heaven 
and  that  are  in  earth  :  but  as  Creation,  considered  as 
applicable  to  the  formation  of  the  world,  is  incom- 
petent, and  improper  to  be  ascribed,  to  a  man  clothed 
in  flesh  and  blood,  it  is  evident  that  the  term  created, 
here  used,  cannot  refer  to  the  old,  or  original,  crea- 
tion, but  to  the  new  creation  or  moral  renovation  of 
the  world.. 

2.  It  must  also  be  observed  here,  that  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  not  said  to  have  created  heaven  and 
earth;  but  the  apostle  Paul  only  says,  that  by  him 
were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven  and  that  arc 
in  earth.  Observe  this  attentively,  for  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  these  two  forms  of  expression  as 
will  presently  appear. 

The  proper  definition  of  the  first  or  original  crea- 
tion is  to  make  or  create  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  sea, 
and  all  that  in  them  is,  or  the  world  and  all  things 
therein,  which  Christ  is  never  said  to  have  done  in 
sacred  Scripture.  To  make  this  point  appear  clear 
and  distinct  we  shall  quote  some  passages  of  the  New 
Testament  where  a  description  of  the  first  or  origi- 
nal creation  is  given,  and  which  is  always  ascribed  to 
JEHOVAH  or  God  alone,  without  mention  of  any 


Arian  objections.  17J 

inferior  agent,  minister,  or  subordinate  operator, 
whatever. 

Acts  iv.  24.  Lord,  (Gr.  Sovereign  Lord  J  thou  art 
God  which  hast  ?nade  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  sea, 
and  all  that  in  them  is. 

Acts  xiv.  15.  We  preach  unto  you,  that  ye  should 
turn  from  these  vanities  unto  the  living  God,  which 
made  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  things 
that  are  therein. 

Acts  xvii.  24.  God  (says  the  Apostle  Paul)  that 
made  the  world,  and  all  things  therein,  seeing  he  is  the 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples 
made  zuith  hands  :  &c. 

Rev.  x.  .5,  6.  And  the  angel  which  I  saw  stand 
upon  the  sea,  and  upon  the  earth,  lifted  up  his  hand  to 
heaven,  And  sware  by  him  that  liveth  forever  and 
ever,  who  created  heaven  and  the  things  that  therein 
are,  and  the  earth  and  the  things  that  therein  are, 
and  the  sea  and  the  things  which  are  therein,  &c. 

Rev.  xiv.  7.  Fear  God,  and  give  glory  to  him, — - 
and  worship  him  that  made  heaven  and  earth,  and 
the  sea,  and  the  fountains  of  waters* 

*  In  the  Old  Testament  JEHOVAH,  the  one  living  and  true  God  and 
heivenly  Father,  is  always  said  to  make  or  create  the  world  and  all  things 
therein,  or  heaven  and  ear th,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  by  him- 
self alone;  or  by  his  power,  word,  spirit,  wisdom,  understanding  or 
discretion,  which  as  they  are  his  attributes  or  properties,  are  equiva- 
lent to  himself.  No  inferior  deity  or  subordinate  creator,  is  ever 
introduced,  or  supposed;  but  carefully  excluded  by  the  most  decisive 
expressions. 

The  following'  is  a  pretty  complete  list  of  passages  descriptive  of 
the  Creation,  or  some  of  its  principal  parts,  collected  from  different 
books  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  it  may  be  proper  to  turn  to  and 
compare  with  those  striking  passages  in  the  New  Testament  above 
stated.  Several  places  in  this  list  are  inserted  at  length  or  referred  to 
in  the  second  Dissertation. 

Gen.  i.  throughout.  Gen.  ii.  1  to  4.  Exod.  xx.  11.  2  Kings  xix.  15. 
Nehem.  ix.  6.  Job  xxi.  13.  xxxviii.  4.  PsaL  viii.  3.  xix.  1.  xxiv. 
1,  2.  xxxiii.  6,-9.  lxxxvi.  8,  9,  10.  xc.  1,  2.  xcv.  3  to  6.  xcvi. 
4,  5.  c.o.  cii.  25.  civ.  throughout,  cxv.  15,  16.  cxix  89,90,91. 
exxi.  2.  exxxiv.  3.  exxxv.  5,  6,  7  exxxvi.  5  to  9.  cxlvi  5,  6.  cxlvii. 
4,  5,— 8,— 15  to  18.  cxlviii.  throughout,  cl.  1.  Prov.  viii.  22  to  31. 
Isa.  xl.  12  to  14,— 28.  xlii.  5.  xliv.  2.  xiv.  11,  12,— 1.8.  xlviii.  12,  1? 
U.  13.     Jerem.  x.  12.     Ii.  15,  16.     Mai.  ii.  10. 


1     O  A   REPLY  TO 

Here  we  have  the  true  and  proper  description  of 
the  creation  of  the  world,  according  to  the  style  of 
scripture  phraseology.  Were  the  creation  ascribed  to 
Christ  in  such  plain,  express,  and  unequivocal  terms, 
the  Arian  objection  would  have  force  in  it;  and  it 
the  Apostles  had  believed  this  doctrine  they  would 
have  made  a  point  of  inculcating  it  in  the  strongest 
maimer,  so  as  to  leave  no  room  for  doubt  and  hesita- 
tion.  But  when  they  ascribe  creation  to  Christ  their 
language  is  very  different.  The  Apostles  never  say 
that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  made  or  created  heaven 
and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  or  the 
world,  and  all  things  therein.  In  the  very  place  we  are 
commenting  upon  the  Apostle  Paul  does  not  say,  that 
the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first  born  of  every 
( feature,  created  heaven  and  earth  ;  but  only  that  by 
him  were  all  things  created  that  are  in  heaven  and  that 
are  in  earth ;  and  the  all  things  of  which  he  speaks  he 
limits  and  restricts,  to  all  thrones  and  dominions,  prin- 
cipalities, and  powers,  which  terms  respect  the  new 
creation  or  modification  of  these  dignitaries  as  will  af- 
terwards appear. 

This  consideration,  that  the  words  of  the  Apostle 
Paul  in  this  place  do  not  contain  the  proper  descrip- 
tion of  the  first  or  original  creation,  as  mentioned  by 
himself  and  the  rest  of  the  Apostles  in  other  places, 
has  a  great  deal  of  weight  in  it,  and  joined  with  the 
foregoing  observation,  that  the  Apostle's  language  in 
the  1 4th  verse  implies  that  Christ  was  a  man,  may  go  a 
great  way  to  satisfy  an  unprejudiced  person,  that: 
the  creation  of  the  world  is  not  here  ascribed  to 
Christ. 

3.  A  great  deal  of  light  may  be  thrown  on  this  pas- 
sage of  the  Collossians  we  are  treating  of,  by  com- 
paring it  with  some  similar  expressions  of  the  same 
Apostle  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians. 

Ephes.  i.  10.  That,  in  the  dispensation  of  the 
fulness    of  time,  he  might  gather  together  in  one  all 


Arian  objections.  181 

things  in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven,  and  which 
are  on  earth,  even  in  him. 

Ephes.  i.  17  to  23.  That  the  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Father  of  glory,  may  give  unto  you  the  spirit 
of  wisdom  and  revelation,  in  the  knowledge  of  him  :  The 
eyes  of  your  understanding  being  enlightened ;  that  ye 
may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what 
the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints. 
And  what  is  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his  power  to  us- 
ward  who  believe,  according  to  the  working  of  his 
mighty  power,  which  he  wrought  in  Christ  when  he 
raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  set  him  at  his  own  right 
hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  principality, 
and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name 
that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  in  that  which 
is  to  come :  And  hath  put  all  things  under  his  feet, 
and  gave  him  to  bt  the  head  over  all  things  to  the 
church,  which  is  his  body,  the  fulness  of  him  thatfilleth 
all  in  all. 

Now  in  these  passages  of  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Ephe- 
sians,  though  the  turn  of  thought  resembles  that 
in  the  Colossians  very  much,  there  is  not  the  least 
mention  of  any  creation  effected  by  Christ,  but  mere- 
ly of  gathering  together  in  one  all  things  in  him,  and 
of  his  exaltation  far  above  all  principality,  and 
power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  &c.  which  if  we 
will  allow  Paul  to  be  his  own  interpreter,  and  explain 
the  one  Epistle  by  the  other,  it  will  appear  natural 
to  think  that  Paul  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  did 
not  mean  to  refer  to  the  proper  original  creation, 
but  only  to  the  renovation  or  new  constitution  of  the 
world. 

4.  Our  Lord  himself  never  hinted  that  he  acted 
any  part  in  the  original  creation.  But  when  he  speaks 
of  our  first  parents,  Mark  x.  6.  he  says,  But  from 
the  beginning  of  the  creation  God  made  them  male  and 
female. 


1     2  A    REPLY   tO 

5.  The  Gospel  itself  is  prophesied  of  in  the  Old 
Testament  as  a  new  creation.  Isa.  Ixv.  17,  18.  For 
behold,  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth  :  and  the 

former  shall  not  be  remembered  or  come  into  mind.  But 
be  you  glad,  and  rejoice  for  ever,  in  that  which  I  create: 
for  behold,  I  create  Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  and  her  people 
a  joy.  And  this  refers  to  the  Gospel  times  express- 
ly, and  more  to  the  same  purpose  may  be  found  in 
that  prophet.* 

6.  The  Greek  word  translated  were  created,  may 
with  the  same  propriety  be  rendered  were  renew- 
ed, or  restored.  For  by  him  were  all  things  renewed, 
&c. 

7.  To  confirm  and  strengthen  all  we  have  said, 
the  Apostle  Paul  himself,  who  is  the  best  commenta- 
tor on  his  own  words,  expressly  styles  the  Gospel 
dispensation  a  new  creation.  Gal.  vi.  15.  For  in 
Christ  Jesus,  neither  circiwicision  availeth  any  thing, 
nor  uncircumcision,  but  a  new  creature.  (Gr.  a  new 
creation)  2  Cor.  v.  17.  Therefore  if  any  man  be  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature:  (Gr.  a  new  creation) 
old  things  are  past  away,  behold,  all  things  are  become 
new.  Ephes.  ii.  10  to  22.  For  we  are  his  workman- 
ship, created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,  &c. 

Ver.  17.  And  he  is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all 
things  consist.  Christ  is  before  all  things  not  with  re- 
spect to  time,  but  dignity,  and  worth.  As  the  Mes- 
siah-, the  anointed  and  beloved  son  of  God  the  Fa- 
ther, who  received  from  him  honour  and  glory,  and 
as  the  Father  or  author  of  the  age  to  come,  he  is  more  glo- 
rious and  excellent  than  all  former  prophets  and  law- 
givers, and  acts  in  a  higher  sphere  and  a  more  exalted 
capacity  than  any  of  them  ever  did.  The  all  things, 
which  consist  in  him,  or  are  established  by  him,  are  ob- 
viously the  things  of  the  new  creation,  which  Paul  in 
a  passage  just  quoted  before  tells  us  are  from  old 
things  which  are  past  away,  become  new  things  ;  hav- 

See  [sa  li    16.     Ixvi.  22. 


Arian  objections.  18S 

ing  been  brought  by  Christ  into  a  reformed  or  reno- 
vated state. 

Ver.  18,  19.  And  he  is  the  head  of  the  body,  the 
church  :  who  is  the  beginning,  the  first  born  from  the 
dead  ;  that  in  all  things  he  might  have  the  pre-eminence. 
For  it  pleased  the  Father,  that  in  him  should  all  fullness 
dwell.  These  two  verses  are  very  plain,  and  the 
meaning  apparent,  and  when  compared  with  the  con- 
text before  and  after  the  verses  we  have  been  discus- 
sing, may  confirm  not  a  little  our  interpretation.  The 
Apostle  says  ver.  12,  13.  Giving  thanks  unto  the 
Father,  which  hath  made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light :  Who  hath  deli- 
vered us  from  the  power  of  darkness,  and  hath  trans- 
lated us  into  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son.  Ver.  20. 
And  (having  made  peace  through  the  blood  of  his 
cross  J  by  him  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  himself,  by 
him,  I  say,  whether  they  be  things  in  earth,  or  things 
in  heaven. 

It  appears  from  these  passages,  that  the  views  of 
our  Apostle  were  entirely  directed  to  the  happy 
change  effected  in  the  state  of  the  Gentile  world,  by 
the  coming  of  Christ  and  the  preaching  of  his  Gos- 
pel. By  the  benignity  of  the  heavenly  Father,  the  Gen- 
tiles were  liberated  from  the  power  of  darkness,  trans- 
ferred into  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  made  the 
happy  subjects  of  his  gentle  dominion.  Their  former 
ferocity,  and  hostility  to  goodness,  were  now  effec- 
tually subdued,  and  a  happy  reconciliation  had  taken 
place  with  the  Creator  through  the  ministry  of  his 
Son.  Transported,  as  it  were,  with  this  delight- 
ful prospect,  this  happy  Union  of  Jews  and  Gentiles 
under  Christ,  our  Apostle  in  a  bold  and  elevated 
style  represents  it  under  the  figure  of  a  creation  of 
all  things  in  heaven  and  in  earth. 

From  all  these  considerations  taken  together,  and 
allowed  their  due  force  and  weight,  I  think  there  is 


J  84  A  REPLY  TO 

ground  to  say,  that  the  Apostle  Paul  intended  merely 
to  represent  Christ  as  under  God,  the  new  Creator  or 
reformer  of  the  world,  and  that  there  is  no  reference 
in  his  words  to  the  first  or  original  creation. 

In  this  view  I  will  attempt  a  paraphrase  upon  Col. 
i.  15,  to  19.  Who  (Christ)  is  the  visible  image  or  re- 
semblance of  the  invisible  God,  the  first  born,  or  most 
excellent  and  dear  to  God,  of  every  creature.  For  by, 
or  through  him,  were  all  things  created  again,  or  re- 
newed, or  restored,  that  are  in  heaven,  and  that  are 
in  earth,  visible  and  invisible,  of  whatever  rank,  or 
degree :  all  things  were  created  again,  or  renewed, 
by,  or  through  him,  and  for  him  :  and  Jews  and  Gen- 
tiles are  by  him  brought  into  a  bond  of  Union.  And 
he  is  before  all  things  in  worth  and  excellence,  and 
every  part  of  this  new  creation,  or  system,  is  depen- 
dent upon  him  and  directed  by  him.  And  he  is  the 
great  head  of  the  body,  the  church :  the  begimiing, 
the  first  born  from  the  dead ;  pre-eminent  in  all 
things,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Su- 
preme Father,  who  hath  caused  all  fulness  to  dwell 
in  him,  or  conferred  upon  him  every  power  necessa- 
ry for  the  exercise  of  this  extensive  government. 

Leaving  now  this  passage  as  sufficiently  explained, 
we  come  to  consider  Heb.  i.  I,  2,  3.  God,  who  at 
sundry  times,  and  in  divers  manners,  spake  hi  time 
past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  Hath  in  these  last 
days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son,  whom  he  hath  appoint- 
ed heir  of  all  thing,  by  whom  also  he  made  the  worlds. 
Who  being  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the 
word  of  his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself  purged 
our  sins,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high. 

The  first  and  second  of  these  verses  want  nothing 
to  give  the  true  sense  of  the  original,  but  to  rectify 
one  word  in  our  translation.     The  Greek  word  *ish*s, 


Arian  objections.  185 

is  not  properly  translated  worlds.  In  its  strict,  ori- 
ginal meaning,  it  signifies  ages,  or  "  periods  of 
time." 

These  three  verses  may  be  paraphrased  as  fol- 
lows. God,  who  at  sundry  times,  and  in  various 
ways  and  methods,  spake  to  our  fathers  in  former 
days  by  a  succession  of  prophets,  Hath  in  these  last 
days  spoken  unto  us  by  his  Son  (or  by  a  Son  J  whom  he 
hath  appointed  heir,  Lord,  or  ruler  of  all  things,  by 
or  through  whom,  or,  as  some  render  it,  "  with  re- 
spect to  whom,"  he  made  or  constituted  the  ages  or 
"  periods  of  time."  Who  being  a  ray  or  beam  of  his 
Father's  glory  and  the  express  or  impressed  image  of 
his  person  or  substance,  and  upholding  or  conducting 
all  things  by  the  word  of  his  Father's  power,  when 
he  had  by  himself  purged  our  sins  sat  down  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high. 

Heb.  i.  10,  11,  12.  And,  thou,  Lord,  in  the  be- 
ginning hast  laid  the  foundation  of  the  earth ;  and 
the  heavens  are  the  works  of  thine  hands  :  They  shall 
perish,  but  thou  remainest :  and  they  all  shall  wax  old 
as  doth  a  garment ;  And  as  a  vesture  shalt  thou  fold 
them  up,  and  they  shall  be  changed :  but  thou  art  the 
same,  and  thy  years  shall  not  fail. 

This  quotation  is  taken  from  Psal.  cii.  It  is  there 
addressed  to  JEHOVAH  the  one  true  God,  and  is  not 
applicable  to  Christ  at  all  any  farther  than  to  mani- 
fest the  stability  of  his  kingdom.  All  the  other  cita- 
tions in  this  chapter  are  brought  in  with  an  applica- 
tion to  the  Son ;  but  no  application  is  made  of  this 
one.  This  quotation  follows  simply  on  the  back  of 
another,  and  is  only  alledged  to  show  that  the  Lord 
God  or  JEHOVAH,  who  laid  the  foundation  of  the 
earth,  who  exists  from  eternity,  and  who  can  never 
fade  or  fail,  will  secure  the  stability  of  his  Son's 
throne,  and  place  it  on  a  sure  and  solid  foundation. 

Bb 


186  A  REPLY  TO  &C. 

We  now  conclude  our  reply  to  the  objections  of 
those  who  adopt  the  Arian  system  ;  and  without  in- 
troducing farther  remarks  on  the  subject,  we  shall 
leave  what  has  been  said  upon  it  to  the  serious  and 
candid  consideration  of  the  pious  and  intelligent 
reader. 

Glory  to  JEHOVAH,  the  most  high  God  and  hea- 
venly Father,  for  his  tender  mercy  in  delivering  his 
wandering  creatures  of  mankind  from  the  darkness 
of  Idolatry  and  Vice,  and  translating  them  into  the 
kingdom  of  his  dear  Son,  the  man  Christ  Jesus  ;  whose 
throne  he  has  established  on  a  permanent  foundation, 
and  made  him  the  author  of  a  new  creation,  and  the 
Father  of  the  age  to  come.  Amen.  Isa.  ix.  6,  7.  lxv. 
17, 18.     2  Cor.  v.  17.     Heb.  ii.  5  to  8. 


DISSERTATION  XIII. 

THE  UNITY  OF  GOD  IN  THE  PERSON 
OF  THE  FATHER, 

AND 

THE  TRUE  SONSHIP  OF  JESUS, 

EVINCED  FROM  THE  NATURAL  AND  OBVIOUS  MEANING  OF  THAT 
ANCIENT  SYMBOL,  STYLED 

THE  APOSTLES  CREED. 

WITH  A  FEW  PREVIOUS  OBSERVATIONS,  ON 

THE  DOCTRINES  PREACHED  BY  THE  APOSTLES,  AND  ON 

THE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  APOSTOLICAL  FATHERS. 

1   TIMOTHY  U.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

JlAVING  in  twelve  preceding  Dissertations  from 
these  plain  and  express  words  fully  established  the 
Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
and  the  Messiahship  and  Proper  Humanity 
of  Jesus,  as  the  genuine  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures,, 
and  having  also  replied  to  the  Objections  both 
of  Trinitarians  and  Arians  ;  we  come  now  to 
execute  the  last  part  of  our  plan,  and  to  show,  that 


188  THE  APOSTLES  PREACHED  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE. 

the  Unity  of  God  as  above  stated,  and  the  Proper 
Humanity  of  Christ  were  not  only  taught  by  the 
Apostles,  but  held  in  the  earliest  Jewish  and  Gentile 
churches  ;  and  to  point  out  by  what  steps  and  degrees 
these  doctrines  became  corrupted,  and  the  present 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  took  its  rise. 

It  is  a  certain  fact,  whether  we  are  able  to  show  it 
to  have  been  so  or  not,  that  if  the  doctrine  taught 
by  the  Apostles  was  Unitarian,  that  of  the  earliest 
and  first  Christians  must  have  been  set  also.  For  the 
first  Christians,  those  I  mean  who  lived  in  the  Apos- 
tolic age  or  the  first  century,  had  no  other  teachers 
or  instructors  but  the  Apostles  ;  and  as  the  Apostles 
we-are  sure  would  teach  no  other  doctrine  than  what 
is  recorded  in  their  writings,  and  if  these  writings 
are  strictly  Unitarian,  both  with  respect  to  the  per- 
sonal Unity  of  God,  and  the  -proper  humanity  of  Christ; 
then  of  necessity,  the  doctrine  of  the  primitive  church 
must  have  been  Unitarian  also,  with  respect  to  these 
articles. 

If  Peter,  John,  and  the  other  Apostles,  taught  at 
Jerusalem,  that  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
made  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all  that  in 
them  is,  and  was  the  Jehovah  of  Israel,  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob*  and  also  that  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  was,  a  man  approved  of  God — by  mira- 
cles, and  wonders,  and  signs,  which  God  did  by  him, 
'life.  ;f  the  Faith  of  the  first  Jewish  converts  must 
certainly  have  been  Unitarian. 

If  Paul  taught  the  same  doctrine  at  Athens  and 
elsewhere,  viz.  that,  God  that  made  the  world,  and 
all  things  therein, — is  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth, 
and  that, — he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  the  which  he 
wiU  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  by  that  man 
whom  he  hath  ordained,  whereof  he  hath  given  assur- 

>     i'.i.  I",     iv.  ?4  to  "O.     f  Acts  ii.  22.     iii.  32. 


THE  AUTHORITY  OF  THE  APOSTOLICAL  FATHERS.  1  89 

ance  unto  all  men,  in  that  he  hath  raised  him  from  the 
dead;*  of  consequence  the  Faith  of  the  early  Gen- 
tile Christians  must  also  have  been  Unitarian. 

To  those  who  are  fully  convinced  that  the  Apos- 
tles really  taught  these  doctrines,  no  other  proof  of 
the  Unitarianism  of  the  primitive  Church  is  abso- 
lutely necessary :  and  to  those  who  cannot  be  con- 
vinced that  these  doctrines  were  really  taught  by  the 
Apostles,  perhaps  no  other  proof  will  be  sufficient. 
But  at  the  same  time  in  each  case  it  may  be  useful, 
at  least  it  can  do  no  harm,  to  alledge  such  proof  as 
we  are  in  possession  of.  It  will  confirm  the  Unita- 
rian Christian  the  more  in  his  profession  and  belief, 
when  he  finds  that  so  much  evidence  from  ecclesias- 
tical Antiquity  can  be  produced  in  favour  of  his  in- 
terpretation of  the  Scriptures  ;  and  it  may  shake  the 
confidence  of  those  who  may  be  inclined  to  under- 
stand the  Scriptures  in  a  different  sense,  to  be  in- 
formed, that  so  many  in  the  first  ages  of  Christiani- 
ty embraced  the  same  sentiments  that  Unitarians  do 
now,  and  had  the  same  general  views  of  Scripture 
with  respect  to  the  important  topics  in  question  as 
Unitarians  have  at  present. 

Next  to  the  books  of  the  New  Testament,  the 
oldest  Christian  writings  that  are  extant  are  supposed 
to  be,  the  first  Epistle  of  Clemens,  the  Epistle  of 
Barnabas,  the  Pastor  of  Hernias,  the  Epistles  of 
Ignatius,  and  the  Epistle  of  Polycarp.  Three  of  these 
Compositions,  viz.  the  Epistle  of  Barnabas,  the 
Epistles  of  Ignatius,  and  the  Pastor  of  Hermas,  are 
either  doubtful  writings,  or  bear  pretty  plain  marks 
of  interpolation  ;  so  that  no  doctrine  can  be  certain- 
ly proved  from  them. 

The  first  Epistle  of  Clemens,  and  the  Epistle  of 
Polycarp,  are  two  valuable  records,  bear  the  marks  of 

'   Acjs  xvii.  24,-31. 


190         THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE  PROVED 

early  and  genuine  antiquity,  and  contain  nothing  in 
them  contrary  either  to  the  personal  Unity  of  God 
or  the  proper  humanity  of  Christ,  but  several  senti- 
ments and  expressions  which  discover  that  the  au- 
thors had  ideas  of  these  subjects  similar  to  those  of 
the  Unitarians.  Poly  carp  is  said  to  have  been  a  dis- 
ciple of  the  Apostle  John,  and  Clemens  is  thought 
by  some  to  have  been  the  same  person  mentioned  by 
the  Apostle  Paul  by  that  name.* 

There  is  also  a  work  of  very  great  antiquity,  sup- 
posed to  be  as  early  as  any  of  Justin  Martyr's 
writings,  called  the  Clementine  Homilies >  which  is  com- 
pletely Unitarian.  It  introduces  the  Apostle  Peter 
and  Clemens  beforementioned  as  speakers,  and  uni- 
formly represents  them  as  expressing  themselves  like 
Unitarians.  A  proof  that  in  this  writer's  judgment, 
who  was  a  very  early  one,  they  were  really  so. 

I  will  now  come  to  the  proper  subject  of  this  Dis- 
sertation, by  introducing  an  argument  in  favour  of 
early  Unitarianism,  and  a  proof  of  it,  which  must 
be  allowed  to  be  a  very  strong  one  by  all  candid  and 
considerate  persons,  and  is  so  plain  that  it  is  level  to 
the  meanest  capacity,  and  lies  within  the  inspection 
of  every  one.  This  argument,  or  proof,  is  drawn 
from  the  Apostles  Creed. 

It  is  not  pretended  that  this  Creed  was  composed 
by  the  Apostles,  though  it  is  called  by  their  name ; 
but  only  that  it  was  a  summary  of  their  Doctrine  put 
together  in  the. earliest  ages  and  generally  received 
in  the  christian  churches. 

This  Creed  was  not  confined  to  one  country,  or 
one  Age,  but  prevailed  in  successive  Ages;  and  was 
received  and  used,  as  the  baptismal  creed,  in  church- 
es planted  in  countries  at  a  remote  distance  from 
each  other:  viz.  in  the  Eastern  churches;  in  the 
church  of  Rome,  the  most  eminent  western  church  ; 
and  in  the  church  of  Aquilcia.     Besides  the  com- 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES  CREED.  191 

mon  Creed  received  in  these  different  churches,  which 
we  have  immediately ;  Tertullian  gives  us  another 
copy  of  it  used  in  Africa,  which  he  affirms  to  be 
the  Rule  of  Faith,  invariable  and  unalterable.* 

Now  there  is  hardly  any  child  who  has  been  in- 
structed in  the  principles  of  Christianity,  but  who 
has  heard  of  this  creed,  or  can  repeat  it.  And  there 
is  no  material  variation  between  our  present  common 
Creed  and  the  ancient  copies  of  it  in  the  different 
churches.  Let  us  now  consider  the  plain  meaning 
of  the  principal  parts  of  this  Creed  or  profession  of 
Faith,  and  whether,  when  fairly  interpreted,  they 
may  be  capable  of  a  Trinitarian,  an  Arian,  or  an 
Unitarian  sense. 


*  Pegula  quidem  fidei  una  omnino  est,  sola  immobilis,  et  irrejorma- 
bilis,  credendi  scilicet  in  unicum  Deum  ovuiipotenteni,  mundi  conUitorent, 
et  Filiuvi  ejus  jfesum-  Christum,  natum  ex  Virgine  Maria,  crucifixuni 
sub  Puntio  Pllato,  tenia  die  rcsuscitatum  a  mortuis,  receptum  in  Calis, 
sedentein  nunc  ad  dexteram  Patris,  venturum  judicare  vivos  et  mo/tiLO* 
per  carnis  etiam,  rcsurrcctionem.  Tertullian.  de  Virginibus  Velandia. 
p.  173.  Edit.  Rigaltii.  Parisiis.  1695. 

"  The  Rule  of  Faith,  indeed,  is  absolutely  one,  alone  invariable, 
"  and  unalterable,  namely,  to  believe  in  one  God  Almighty,  the  Cre- 
"atorof  the  world,  and  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  born  of  the  Virgin 
"  Mary,  crucified  under  Pontius  Pilate,  raised  again  from  the  dead 
lt  on  the  third  day,  sitting-  now  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  who 
"  will  come  to  judge  the  living  and  the  dead  even  by  the  resurrection 
"  of  the  flesh." 

Tertullian  adds,  Hac  lege  Jidei  manente,  ccetera  jam  discipline  et  con- 
versationis,  admittunt  novitatem  correctionis,  operante  scilicet  et  projiciente 
usque  ad  jinevi  gratia  dei.  "  This  law  of  Faith  remaining,  other  tfiings 
"  respecting  discipline  and  behaviour  admit  of  new  correction,  the 
"  grace  of  God  undoubtedly  operating  and  always  advancing  them  to 
"  the  end." 

There  are  other  two,  longer,  Creeds  in  Tertullian's  works,  but  in 
these  (Math.  xiii.  25)  he  has  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  and  mixed 
his  own  comments,  and  Platonic  ideas,  with  the  Rule  and  law  ef 
Faith.  The  like  may  be  said,  with  some  abatement,  of  the  two 
Creeds  found  in  the  writings  of  Iretneus. 

In  the  Apostolical  Constitutions,  there  is  found  a  simple  and  unexcep- 
tionable Creed,  expressed  in  these  comprehensive  words.  There  is  one 
God  Almighty,  besides  whom  there  is  no  other  ;  and  him  only  we  ought  to 
adore  and  worship,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  in  the  moat  holy  Spi- 


192  THE  UNITARIN  DOCTRINE  PROVED 

/  believe  in  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of 
heaven  and  earth. 

This  is  the  first  Article.  How  will  this  corres- 
pond with  the  belief,  either  of  a  Trinitarian,  or  an 
Arian  ? 

According  to  the  Trinitarian  system,  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  form  the  one  true 
God,  not  the  Father  only :  consequently  the  Apos- 
tles Creed,  or  the  Creed  of  the  primitive  churches 
formed  upon  the  Apostles  Doctrine,  does  not  express 
their  sentiments. 

But  it  expresses  perfectly  the  sentiments  of  the 
Unitarians.  And  in  the  Oriental  and  Aquileian  copies 
of  this  Creed,  this  first  Article  is  still  more  empha- 
tically expressed  and  runs  thus,  /  believe  in  one  God, 
the  Father  Almighty. 

Again,  the  Apostles  Creed  styles  the  Father, 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth.  But,  the  Trinitarians 
say  that  the  whole  Trinity,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  were  concerned  in  the  work  of  cre- 
ation :  and  the  Arians  affirm,  that  the  Son  was  em- 
ployed as  a  subordinate  minister  or  operator  in  this 
work.  The  Creed  of  the  first  Christians  takes  no 
notice  of  these  things,  but  refers  the  work  of  Cre- 
ation wholly  to  the  Father. 

How  shall  we  account  for  this  silence  and  these 
omissions,  on  the  supposition  that  the  doctrines  of 
the  Trinity  and  the  pre-existence  of  Christ  were 
known  to  the  primitive  Christians  ?  The  Trinity,  and 
the  Pre-existence  of  Christ,  if  true  doctrines  at  all, 
must  be  owned  to  be  of  great  importance.  Why 
then,  were  they  not  put  into  the  Creed  or  general 
profession  of  Faith,  which  all  Christians  gave  assent 
to  at  Baptism  ? 

If  it  shall  be  said  that  these  doctrines  were  not 
then  controverted  or  opposed,  and  therefore  there 
was  no  occasion  for  inserting  them  in  the  Creed  j — 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES  CREED.  193 

this  answer  will  be  found  to  be  unsatisfactory.  For 
Articles  of  importance  ought  always  to  be,  and  are 
always,  inserted  in  a  Creed  whether  controverted  or 
not.  Besides,  it  is  not  true  that  these  articles  were 
not  then  controverted.  It  is  well  known,  that  the 
earliest  ages  of  Christianity  abounded  with  Unitari- 
ans, yea,  as  I  hope,  I  shall  be  able  to  prove,  it  was 
the  prevailing  and  general  opinion.  This  therefore 
is  an  insufficient  reason  and  falls  to  the  ground  of 
itself. 

But  I  will  mention  the  true  reason  why  these  arti- 
cles thought  now  so  important  by  Trinitarians  were 
not  then  inserted  in  the  Creed.  The  Reason  was, 
that  no  such  articles  then  existed, — that  the  Trinity 
and  Incarnation,  were  no  part  of  the  Faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  Saints,* — that  the  Apostles,  and  the 
great  body  of  the  primitive  Church  were  Unitarians, 
and  could  not  insert  in  a  Creed  what  they  themselves 
did  not  believe",  or  perhaps  had  never  heard  of.  The 
Trinity  and  Incarnation  were  the  spurious  brood  and 
ill-formed  progeny  of  the  Man  of  sin,  and  therefore 
could  not  make  a  formal  appearance  in  the  world  in 
a  general  Creed  for  the  use  of  all  persons,  until  such 
time  as  the  Apostacy,  had  been  considerably  advanced, 
and  the  Man  of  sin  had  come  upon  the  public 
stage.f 

*  Jude  ver.  3. 

-j-  It  has  been  customary  among  Protestants  to  apply  the  term,  Mai. 
of  sin,  exclusively  of  all  others,  to  the  Popes  or  bishops  of  Rome. 
But  I  am  by  no  means  satisfied  that  this  exclusive  application  is  just. 
As  the  Man  of  God  in  Scripture  does  not  signify  merely  an  individual 
character  or  single  line  of  men,  but  respects  every  good"  man  who  pre- 
serves the  pure  doctrines  of  Christ  both  in  principle  and  practice  ;  so 
the  Man  of  sin  does  not  apply  merely  to  one  corrupter  of  Christianity, 
but  to  all  (whether  acting  in  a  civil  or  ecclesiastical  capacity)  who 
corrupt  it,  and  enforce  these  corruptions. 

The  Man  of  sin  was  formed  in  the  Christian  Church  long  before  the 
Papal  power  had  arrived  at  any  great  height.  Const antine,  the  firs' 
christian  Emperor  of  the  Romans,  who  assumed  Lotdship  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  (Math.  xx.  25  to  28)  and  enforced  the  decisions  of 
the  Council  of  Nice  by  his  imperial  authority,  was  the  first 

Cc 


194  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE  PROVED 

Let  us  now  consider  the  second  Article  of  this 
ancient  Creed. 

And  (I  believe)  in  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son  our 
Lord ;  who  was  conceived  by  the  holy  Ghost,  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary. 

Now,  upon  Trinitarian  and  Arian  principles  this 
second  Article  will  be  found  to  be  as  inexplicable 
and  unaccountable  as  the  first.  For  Trinitarians  say, 
that  the  Son  of  God  was  begotten  from  eternity,  that 
he  is  of  the  Father's  essence  or  substance,  and  equal 
to  him  in  all  divine  perfections :  and  the  Arians  af- 
firm that  he  was  ihejzrst  born  of  every  creature  in  re- 
spect of  time,  and  brought  forth  before  the  creation 
of  the  world.  But  this  ancient  Creed,  or  profes- 
sion of  Christian  Faith,  is  quite  silent  with  respect 
to  both  these  assertions. 

But  could  the  Creed  have  been  silent, — could  it 
have  omitted  these  articles  now  reckoned  so  import- 
ant, if  they  had  been  believed  or  generally  received 
at  the  time  it  was  composed  ?  Would  any  Trinitarian 
or  Arian  omit  them  now  in  making  a  Creed,  or  a 
Catechism,  for  the  professed  purpose  of  instructing 
converts,  and  delivering  to  the  world  an  account  of 
their  respective  principles  ?  If  these  articles  are  of 
importance  now  and  never  omitted  in  any  account  or 
profession  of  Faith,  why  were  they  omitted  in  the 
first  age  of  Christianity  ?  Were  the  successors  of  the 
Apostles  and  the  primitive  Christians  so  negligent 
and  inattentive  as  to  forget  the  most  important,  the 
most  profound,  and  the  most  necessary  articles  of 
their  religion,  in  a  Creed,  or  form  of  doctrine,  ex- 
pressly drawn  up  for  the  information  and  instruction 

sin,  who  made  a  public  appearance  ;  and  the  pattern  and  example  of 
all  who  have  followed  in  succeeding- times,  whether  Papal  or  Pro  tex  - 
cant. 

See  Lvanxoii'x  Letter  to  the  Bishop  of  Litchfield  and  Coventry,  London. 
177-7.  Since  reprinted. 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES  CREED.  195 

of  beginners  and  new  Converts  ?  Would  they  have 
abandoned  in  this  careless  manner  the  Faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  Saints,  if  it  really  had  been  so  delivered  ? 
Alas  !  alas  !  This  question  can  never  be  satisfactorily 
answered,  but  in  the  same  way  I  answered  the  for- 
mer one,  viz.  that  the  first  Christians  knew  of  no 
eternal  or  pre-existent  Son  of  God, — that  they  were 
neither  Trinitarians,  nor  Arians,  but  plain,  simple, 
Unitarian  Christians;  and  therefore  could  not  put 
into  their  Creed,  or  profession  of  Faith,  what  they 
did  not  believe,  or  did  not  know  themselves. 

But  this  is  not  all  that  may  be  said  upon  this  part 
of  the  subject.  This  ancient  Creed,  not  only  leaves 
out  every  thing  relating  to  an  eternal  or  pre-existent 
Son  of  God,  but  expresses  clearly  and  precisely  what 
is  inconsistent  with  this  notion.  The  Creed  calls 
Jesus  Christ,  (or  Jesus  the  anointed)  God's  only  Son, 
as  he  really  is ;  but  it  defines  expressly  at  the  same 
time  in  what  sense  it  understands  the  term.  The 
Creed  styles  him  then  our  Lord,  or  Master,  because 
God  made  him  both  Lord  and  Christ,*  and  it  con- 
tinues to  describe  him  as  a  Son  of  God,  who  was  con- 
ceived by  the  holy  Ghost,  (or  the  power  of  the  High- 
est]J  and  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  thereby  ex- 
cludes all  ideas  of  an  eternal,  or  pre-existent  Sons  hip. 
Were  a  professed  modern  Unitarian  to  draw  up  a 
Creed,  he  could  hardly  make  one  more  expressive  of 
his  own  sentiments  than  the  first  Christians  have  al- 
ready made  to  his  hands  ! 

The  only  remaining  Article  in  this  Creed  that  it  is 
proper  to  take  notice  of,  as  belonging  to  our  present 
subject,  is  that  which  respects  the  holy  Spirit.  This. 
is  expressed  simply  as  follows. 

/  believe  in  the  holy  Ghost ;  (or  holy  Spirit). 

*  John  xiii.  13.     Acts  ii.  36.     Phil.  ii.  11.    f  Luke  i.  34 


196         THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE  PROVED 

Now,  the  terms  in  which  this  Article  is  expressed 
by  no  means  imply  the  personality  of  the  holy  Spirit. 
For  the  Creed  also  inculcates  the  belief  of  The  for- 
giveness of  sins  ;  The  resurrection  of  the  body,  And 
the  life  everlasting  ;  which  we  are  sure  are  not  per- 
sons, but  things  or  circumstances. 

I  believe  in  the  holy  Ghost,  (or  holy  Spirit') ; 
therefore,  implies  nothing  more  in  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  expressed,  and  in  the  connection  in  which 
it  stands,  than  a  belief  of  the  supernatural  descent, 
the  effusion,  or  pouring  forth  of  the  divine  Spirit  of 
the  Father,  first  upon  our  Lord  himself,  and  then  up- 
on the  Apostles  and  believers  in  the  first  age  of 
Christianity  ;  or  that  miraculous  power  by  which  the 
Gospel  was  supported  and  propagated ;  and  which 
may  still  operate  upon  the  minds  of  Christians  in  a 
way  unknown  to  us.* 

Thus,  we  have  shown  that  the  most  ancient,  gene- 
ral, and  universal  Creed,  or  profession  of  Faith  of 
human  composure,  that  the  Christian  world  ever 
saw,  is  certainly  and  strictly  Unitarian,  and  of  con- 
sequence affords  a  strong  and  striking  proof  that  the 
whole,  or  the  great  body,  of  Christians,  must  have 
been  Unitarians,  at  the  time  it  was  composed.  For 
would  ever  Trinitarians,  or  Arians,  have  composed  a 
Creed  contrary  to  their  own  sentiments,  or  leaving 
out  and  omitting  the  most  important  Articles  of  their 
Faith  ? 

And  if  the  great  body  of  Christians  were  Unitari- 
ans when  this  Creed  was  composed, — it  was  compo- 
sed at  so  early  a  period,  and  received  so  universally, 
that  it  will  follow  from  these  circumstances,  that  the 
Apostles  themselves  must  have  taught  the  Unitarian 
Doctrine ;  and  this  will  strongly  confirm  all  our  in- 

*  The  vender  m.1)  if  lie  pleases  turn  to  Dissertation  iv.  page  70,  &c. 
and  read  what  is  there  said,  concerning  "  the  true  scriptural  sense  of 
the  words,   The  Holy  Spirit,  or  .Spirit  of  God" 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES  CREED.  197 

*erpretations  of  Scripture,  as  giving  the  true  sense  of 
the  Apostles  writings. 

This  ancient  Creed  is  so  well  attested,  and  was 
so  generally  received,  that  it  was  continued  to  be 
used  long  after  the  doctrine  of  the  Church  was 
changed,  and  the  Trinitarian  system  came  to  pre- 
vail, though  it  was  thought  necessary  by  the  pre- 
vailing party  to  make  other  Creeds  by  way  of  sup- 
plement to  it,  or  explanatory  of  it ;  and  to  en- 
force them,  by  arbitrary  penalties  and  severe  punish- 
ments, upon  Christians.  But  the  Antiquity  and 
long  use  of  this  Creed  was  such,  that  it  could  not  be 
laid  aside,  and  it  is  therefore  continued  in  all  Trinita- 
rian Establishments  to  this  day  :  though  some  of  their 
learned  men  have  written  large  Comments  upon  it, 
and  have  endeavoured  by  a  forced  construction  to 
make  it  speak  their  own  principles,  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  they  misinterpret  the  Scriptures. 

I  have  been  thus  long  in  commenting  upon  some 
Articles  of  this  ancient  Creed,  because  the  Argu- 
ment arising  from  them  is  well  calculated  to  make  an 
impression,  and  is  so  plain  as  to  be  adequate  to  every 
capacity. 

But  I  would  not  be  understood  by  any  thing  I  have 
said,  to  wish  to  impose  any  form  of  words  of  human 
composition  upon  Christians.  The  Scriptures  are 
the  only  authoritative  Rule  of  Faith,  Worship,  and 
Practice.  I  intend  nothing  more  than  to  urge  this 
Creed  as  a  plain  and  powerful  Argument  for  the 
Unitaricmism  of  the  primitive  Church ;  and  it  must 
be  owned  to  have  a  great  deal  of  force  in  this  re- 
spect. 

An  Argument  derived  from  a  general  Creed  or 
profession  of  Faith,  received  in  Christian  churches 
in  early  ages,  and  handed  down  from  the  remotest 
periods,  is  stronger  in  favour  of  any  particular  doc- 
trines, than  the  sentiments  of  any  one  respectable 
writer,  or  even  many  such  writers  put  together.  The 


198  THE  UNITARIAN   DOCTRINE   PROVED 

opinion  of  a  single  eminent  writer,  or  that  of  man) 
writers,  is  no  farther  to  be  valued  than  as  he,  or 
they,  bring  powerful  reasons  to  support  it ;  but  the 
evidence  arising  from  a  general  Creed  is  quite  of  a 
different  nature.  It  is  an  evidence  arising  from  gene- 
ral consent  at  an  early  period ;  which  general  consent 
could  never  have  taken  place,  if  this  Creed  at  its 
first  publication  had  not  been  thought  to  be  a  faith- 
ful transcript  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles. 

The  case  of  this  early  Creed  is  very  different  from 
that  of  all  other  ones  that  have  been  composed  in 
later  times  by  Councils  and  bodies  of  Clergy,  and 
backed  and  countenanced  by  civil  authority.  The 
Nicene  Creed,  it  is  well  known,  was  framed  by  a 
council  of  Bishops  called  together  by  Constantine, 
and  established  by  his  authority.  The  Athanasian 
Creed  was  fabricated  by  an  obscure  or  unknown  in- 
dividual, and  afterwards  adopted  by  the  Church  and 
enforced  by  civil  and  ecclesiastical  power.  And  all 
modern  Articles,  and  Confessions  of  Faith,  in  the 
European  Establishments,  have  been  framed  by 
Councils,  Synods,  or  Assemblies  of  Divines,  and 
enforced  in  a  similar  manner. 

But  the  Creed  called  The  Apostles  Creed,  was  not 
the  work  of  a  Council,  or  a  body  of  Clergy,  was 
not  established  or  enforced  by  civil  or  ecclesiastical 
authority,  but  grew  up  and  was  received  freely  and 
voluntarily,  by  the  general  consent  of  Christians ; 
and  was  found  with  little  variation  in  the  records  of 
different  ancient  Churches  situated  at  a  vast  distance 
from  one  another.  It  cannot  therefore  be  traced  to 
any  particular  period,  but  seems  to  have  taken  its 
rise  from  Apostolical  Tradition;  and  consequently, 
is  entitled  to  high  respect  and  consideration. 

To  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven  and 
earth :  be  ascribed,  honour,  glory,  and  praise ; 
through  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son  our  Lord ;  who  was 


FROM  THE  APOSTLES  CREED.  199 

conceived  by  the  holy  Ghost,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
suffered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  was  crucified,  dead,  and 
buried ;  The  third  day  he  rose  from  the  dead ;  He 
ascended  into  Heaven,  and  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 
God,  the  Father  Almighty  ;  Prom  thence  he  shall  come 
to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead :  in  the  holy  Spirit, 
Amen. 


DISSERTATION  XIV. 

THE  UNITARIANISM  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE 
CHURCH  PROVED, 

FROM 

SOME  REMARKABLE  CIRCUMSTANCES, 

AND 

FROM  THE  CONCESSIONS  AND  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  OF 

SOME  ANCIENT  ECCLESIASTICAL  WRITERS. 

1   TIMOTHY  ii.  3. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

JN  our  preceding  Dissertation,  after  some  brief 
Observations  on  the  Unitarian  Doctrine  preached  by 
the  Apostles,  and  on  the  Authority  of  the  Apostoli- 
cal Fathers,  we  introduced,  a  plain  but  powerful  Ar- 
gument in  favour  of  the  truth  of  that  Doctrine  de- 
rived from  the  obvious  meaning  of  some  of  the  prin- 
cipal Articles  of  the  Apostles  Creed  ;  and  a  Proof  of 
the  Unitarianism  of  the  Primitive  Church  from  the 
early  and  continued  use  of  this  Creed ;  as  containing 
a  faithful  summary  of  the  Apostles  Doctrine,  and 
therefore  styled  by  some  the  Rule  or  Laiv  of  Faith. 


THE  UNITARIANISM  OF  &C.  201 

We  proceed  immediately  to  produce  farther  evi- 
dence of  the  general  prevalence  of  Unitarian  princi- 
ples in  the  early  ages  of  the  Christian  Church  ;  part- 
ly arising  from  some  remarkable  circumstances  re- 
specting the  Jews,  and  the  Apostles  themselves,  that 
may  be  collected  or  inferred  from  the  Evangelical 
and  Apostolical  history,  and  partly  from  the  con- 
cessions and  acknowledgments  of  some  eminent 
Fathers. 

It  is  well  known,  that  the  Jews  have  made  it  a  se- 
rious objection  to  Christianity  since  ever  the  doc- 
trine of  the  Trinity  took  its  rise,  that  it  teaches  the 
belief  of  more  Gods  than  one,"  even  a  Trinity  of 
Gods,  or  three  divine  persons  ;  contrary  to  the  first, 
important  article  of  their  law,  Deut.  vi.  4.  Hear, 
0  Israel,  Jehovah  our  God,  Jehovah  is  one. 

How  comes  it  to  pass  then,  that  in  no  part  of  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  where  we  find  the  Jews  so 
often  opposing  and  combating  the  doctrines  of  the 
first  christian  Preachers,  we  ever  find  them  urging 
against  these  Preachers,  their  inculcating  the  belief 
of  more  Gods  than  one,  or  teaching  the  divinity  of 
their  Master,  his  pre-existence,  incarnation,  or  any 
thing  of  that  sort  ? 

The  Jews  would  have  eagerly  seized  an  objection 
of  this  kind,  had  but  the  shadow  of  it  appeared,  as 
it  would  have  afforded  them  a  very  strong  and  just 
reason  for  calling  in  question  the  divine  mission  of 
Jesus,  and  for  rejecting  the  authority  of  his  Apos- 
tles ;  and  besides  would  not  a  little  have  raised  the 
indignation  of  the  people  against  them. 

But  as  it  does  not  appear  in  the  whole  compass  of 
the  New  Testament,  or  from  any  record  that  is  iiu 
being,  that  this  objection  was  ever  started  in  the 
course  of  the  first  Century,  this  negative  circum- 
stance furnishes  a  strong  proof  that  there  was  no 
room  for  making  such  an  obiection,  and  consequent* 

D  D 


'202  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF 

ly,  that  neither  the  Apostles,  nor  any  of  the  evan- 
gelical Preachers,  ever  taught  the  Doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  or  that  of  the  Divinity  and  Pre-existence  of 
Christ. 

But  farther,  by  parity  of  reason  it  may  be  sup- 
posed, that  if  our  Lord  himself  had  ever  at  any  time 
communicated  to  his  Apostles  the  strange  and  con- 
tradictory doctrines  beforementioned,  they  would 
have  discovered  a  great  deal  of  surprise  and  wonder 
at  the  first  communication.  For  as  all  the  Jews, 
agreeably  to  the  prophetical  declarations,  expected 
their  Messiah,  whenever  he  should  make  his  appear- 
ance, would  be  a  man  of  their  own  nation,  the  son  of 
David,  the  son  of  Abraham  ;*  the  Apostles  being 
Jews  would  naturally  form  the  same  expectations 
with  their  countrymen,  and  must  therefore  like 
them  have  been  struck  with  astonishment  and  aver- 
sion at  the  notion  of  a  sublime,  pre-existent  being, 
or  a  divine  person,  coming  as  their  Messiah. 

It  was  therefore,  to  be  expected,  on  the  supposi- 
tion of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and  Christ's 
Pre-existence  and  Divinity  having  been  original 
Tenets  of  Christianity,  that  we  should  have  had 
some  account  of  the  effect  that  this  communication 
had  made  upon  the  minds  of  the  Apostles  at  its  first 
discovery  to  them.  But  in  vain  do  we  look  for  any 
information  of  this  kind  in  the  Gospels  or  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles. 

In  other  respects  we  find  the  disciples  of  our  Lord 
expressing  their  surprise  when  any  new  or  unusual 
thing  was  imparted  to  them,  such  as,  that  their 
Master,  though  the  Messiah,  should  suffer  and  die,  and 
that  the  Gentiles  should  be  equally  partakers  of  the 
blessings  of  the  Gospel  with  the  Jews.  If  these  things 
startled   them,    offended   them,  and   shocked  their 

*  Math.  i.  1. 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  &C.  203 

prejudices,  how  much  more  must  the  discovery  of  a 
fact  far  more  wonderful  and  astonishing  have  affect- 
ed their  minds,  viz.  that  Jesus  their  Master,  with 
whom  they  had  so  long  lived  and  conversed  on  the 
footing  of  his  being  a  man,  was  really  a  divine  per- 
son equal  to  Jehovah  himself,  or  a  transcendently 
glorious,  pre-existent  Spirit,  inhabiting  a  human 
body.  And  yet  our  research  is  fruitless  in  the  evan- 
gtlical  history  for  a  discovery  of  this  kind,  and  the 
corresponding  effects  of  it  upon  their  minds. 

This  then  is  not  merely  a  presumption,  but  a  clear 
proof,  founded  upon  unerring  circumstances,  the 
constitution  of  human  nature  in  general,  and  the  pe- 
culiar mental  complection  of  Jews  in  particular,  that 
no  such  discovery  was  ever  made,  and  that  conse- 
quently the  Apostles,  and  other  early  disciples  must 
have  uniformly  considered  Jesus  their  Master  as  a 
man  from  first  to  last,  and  as  such  have  preached  and 
announced  him  to  the  world ;  as  we  find  from  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  they  actually  did. 

And  to  show  that  this  is  not  fanciful  or  chimerical 
reasoning,  we  shall  confirm  what  has  been  here  ad- 
vanced by  a  quotation  from  a  noted  Father,  who 
lived  in  the  fourth  century,  and  found  himself  obli- 
ged to  grant  our  conclusion,  though  he  assigns  another 
reason  for  the  cause  of  it.  The  celebrated  champion 
of  orthodoxy  Athanasius,  having  those  who  held  the 
proper  humanity  of  Christ  particularly  in  view,  and 
after  quoting  several  places  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, has  the  following  words  : 

"  Will  they  now  rage  and  say,  for  nothing  is  too 
"  daring  for  them,  that  the  Apostles  thought  as  Arius 
"  did  :  discovering  such  sentiments,  because  they  an- 
"  nounce  Christ  as  a  man  of  Nazareth,  who  suffered  ? 
"  Or  because  they  used  these  words,  had  the  Apostles 
"  known  Christ  only  as  a  man  and  nothing  more? 
"  Be  it  not  so :  (or  God  forbid).  This  conception 
"  is  not  to  be  admitted.  But  this  they  did  as  wise 
"  master-builders,    and  stewards  of  the  mysteries  of 


204  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF 


a 


a 


God.  And  they  had  this  persuasive  reason  (or 
6  cause)  for  it.  For  the  Jews  of  that  age  being  de- 
£  ceived  themselves,  and  having  deceived  the  Gen- 
'  tiles,  thought  that  Christ  was  a  mere  man,  only 
"  that  he  canje  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  resembled 
"  other  descendants  of  David :  and  they  did  not  be- 
"  lieve  either  that  he  was  God,  or  that  the  Word  was 
"  made  Jtesh.  On  this  account  the  blessed  Apostles, 
"  with  much  judgment,  first  declared  to  the  Jews 
"  what  things  related  to  the  humanity  of  our  Saviour, 
"  that  having  fully  persuaded  them,  from  his  mira- 
"  culous  works,  that  the  Christ  was  come,  they 
"  might  afterwards  bring  them  to  the  belief  of  his 
"  divinity,  showing,  that  his  works  were  not  those 
"  of  a  man  but  of  God.  For  example,  Peter  having 
"  said  that  Christ  was  a  man  who  had  suffered,  im- 
"  mediately  added,  he  is  the  prince  of  life.  In  the 
"  Gospel  he  confesses,  Thou  art  the  Christ  the  Son 
u  of  the  living  God,  and  in  his  Epistle  he  calls  him 
"  the  bishop  of  soids  ;  and  his  own  Lord,  and  that  of 
"  angels  and  of  powers ,  &c."* 

*  flpx  yxg  Xoiirov  xvrovs  utrc&gxavnaSixi  it.  Xiyeiv,  Otxfcv  yxp  xvlois  xlos.- 
^o)Toy>  avrot  xito^oXoi  tx  Af£<«  i<p£ovavv.  xv^eonov  yxq  xvtov  xtio  Nas(af£T? 
xxi  idocZiTov  tov  Xfi^ov  x'TTxyyih^uatVy  sxeivuiv  Totvuv  rotxvlx  (pxvlx^oixevuv, 
xg  fjittoi)  tois  gt[.t.x<jt  tutois  t^'naxvlo,  [/.ovov  xvSgoTtov  yoeto-xv  TOV  XglfOV  Oi 
Attos'oXoi  xxi  tjAeov  «§£» ,  (jm  ysvoilo'  ax  es"'v  ovoi  tis  vow  vjoti  tuto  XxQttv' 
xh>.x  xxt  tuto  us  xqyjnxTovts  <ru(poi,  xxi  oixovo(aoi  \j.v<;-ngiuv  ©e«  zsnroin- 
xxor  xxi  nv  xiiixv  f^pva-iv  svXoyov,  ette/o?)  yxg  01  tote  lud'xioi  'crXxv^svlsiy 
xxi  •ujXxvna-xvns  HXXnvxs  ivo/xiCpv  tov  XgiTov,  4-;Xov  xvJgo'rrov,  fxovov  tx  avrsp- 
(/.xtos  Ax£ic  epy&xi     xaS  v[A.oioTfiTx   tuv  tx   to/   AxQio  xXXuv  yevofASvuv 

TtXVUV'    OVTi    C^S  &10V  «WOY)    OVOB   OTl  XoyOS   <7Xf%    E7EVEW    CJTl?iVOV       TOVTOV  tVSXXy 

f*.".Tx   -HoXXyis  TfiS  awisios  0  [xxxxptoi  xnoroXoi   tx  xvZpovtvx  tk  <tutyi(>os 

i&yOVvlo    'ZSpolov   TOtS    Iti^XIOtS-    tVX  oXuS  ZmO-XVTtS  XliloVS,  EX  TUV  tyXIVOfASVXV  >tf 

yzvoftsvuv  avtfjLHuiv^  sXyXvSyvxi  tqv  Xpt^ov-,  Xoitcov  xxi  sis  tx  izsgi  tvs  Z-nolyTos 
ccvlu  tit^iv  xvlovs  xvxyxyucriv.  ^tixvvvlss  oti  tx  ysvo/xivx  tpyx  hx  Ef/v  xvZgo- 
•77«,  xXXx  ©£«'  x[xsXti  YltTpos  0  Xtyov  xvSgx  zjx^vilov  tov  Xpi^ov,  1  ,§vs  awveiet 
zlos  xpyr,y$i  TVS  ^ur,s  t^iV   ev  (Je  tu  EvxyiXtu  o/xoXoysi'  av  h  0  Xpi<?os  0  vtos 

Tit    ©EOV    ^UVTOS'     EV    ^E    T7)    ETT/foX*)    (pYHTlV   Xv\ov   ZITLaY.O'KOV    -^V^OJV.     XXI    K'JgtOV. 

■txvTu  te  xxi  AfyeKuv  kxi  Suvx/abm  avxi^  Sec.  &c.  Atlmnasii  opera, 
Voi.  1.  p.  553,  554.  Parisiis,  1627.  Be  Senlcntia  Dionijsii  con- 
tra Arianos. 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  &C.  20,3 

There  are  several  things  in  this  quotation  from 
Athanasius  well  worth  attending  to.  In  the  first 
place,  he  acknowledges  in  the  fullest  manner  as 
other  of  the  Fathers  do,  what  some  Trinitarians  in 
after  ages  have  attempted  to  deny,  that  "  the  Jews 
of  that  age  thought  that  Christ  was  a  mere  man, 
and  did  not  believe  either  that  he  was  God,  or  that 
the  Word  was  made  flesh"*  he  also  says  that  "  the 
Jews  of  that  age  being  deceived  themselves,  deceiv- 
ed the  Gentiles." 

Now  the  question  is  here,  whether  Athanasins 
means  the  Jews  who  were  believers  in  Christianity 
or  the  unbelieving  Jews  ?  Some  have  said  that  he  in- 
tended the  unbelieving  Jews.  But  this  is  not  at  all 
probable,  from  his  saying,  "  they  deceived  the  Gen- 
tiles. "  Now,  how  could  unbelieving  Jews  deceive 
the  Gentiles  ?  The  Question  concerning  the  nature 
of  the  Messiah,  whether  he  was  a  man,  a  superan- 
gelic  being,  or  a  person  strictly  divine,  was  a  ques- 
tion of  no  moment  to  the  Gentiles  previous  to  their 
conversion  to  Christianity,  and  in  which  they  did 
not  at  all  concern  themselves.  But  it  was  a  question 
of  real  moment  to  those  Gentiles  who  were  convert- 
ed from  Paganism  by  believing  Jews  to  the  truth  of 
the  Christian  Religion ;  and  therefore  the  words  of 
Athanasius  can  only  be  rightly  understood  of  those 
Jews  who  were  believers  in  Christ ;  and  who  held 
their  Lord  and  Master  to  be  a  man,  and  as  such  de- 
clared him  to  the  Gentiles. 

This  being  the  case,  the  words  of  Athanasius  are 

?  These  Jews,  that  Athanasius  speaks  of,  only  denied,  that  "a  di- 
vine person,  or  intelligent  agent,"  was.  made  flesh.  They  could  ne- 
ver deny  that  the  Word,  or  the  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom  was  commu- 
nicated to  the  Messiah,  which  Isaiah  (xi.  1,  2,  &c.)  had  foretold  long- 
before  would  be  the  case.  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the 
stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  branch  shall  grow  out  of  his  roots.  And  the  spirit 
of  JEHOVAH  shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  v s b'ER- 

i  TAN  DING,    &C.  &C. 


206  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF 

of  considerable  importance  for  the  proof  of  the 
general  prevalence  of  the  Unitarian  Doctrine  in  the 
primitive  Church.  For  from  them  we  have  an  expli- 
cit acknowledgment  on  his  part,  that  the  Apostles 
pi  ached  the  doctrine  of  the  simple  humanity  of  Christ, 
and  were  obliged  to  do  it ;  and  to  use  much  judgment, 
or  "  prudential  reserve,"  in  divulging  the  tenet  of 
his  Divinity ;  because  the  first  Converts  both  Jews 
and  Gentiles  were  so  fully  persuaded  of  the  huma- 
nity of  the  Messiah,  that  they  could  only  be  brought 
to  the  belief  of  his  divinity  by  degrees.*  Here  we 
find  that  Athanasius  is  obliged  to  own  the  fact,  viz. 
"  the  Unitarianism  of  the  members  of  the  first  Jew- 
ish and  Gentile  churches,"  though  he  assigns  a  false 
reason  to  account  for  it,  viz.  judgment,  or  in  other 
words,  "  caution  and  prudence"  on  the  part  of  the 
Apostles. 

But  the  real  state  of  the  case  is, — that  this  belief 

*  The  passages  of  Scripture  that  Athanasius  quotes  to  prove  that 
Peter  himself  held  the  Divinity  of  Christ  are  nothing'  to  the  purpose  ; 
and  two  of  them  make  directly  against  that  notion.  If  the  expression, 
<c  the  prince  of  life"  was  intended,  as  Athanasius  thought,  to  give 
some  intimations  of  Christ's  Divinity  to  the  Jews,  it  must  be  ownetf 
to  have  been  a  very  indirect  way  of  doing  it,  and  it  does  not  appear 
from  any  part  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  any  of  the  Jews  or 
Gentiles  took  the  hint. 

The  truth  is,  that  this  expression  means  nothing  more  than  that 
Christ  is  what  he  himself  says  (John  xi.  25  )  the  resurrection  and  the 
life,-  or  than  as  Paul  fully  explains  the  subject,  1  Cor.  xv.  21.  For 
since  by  max  came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of  the  deaf. 

But  the  passage,  when  fully  quoted,  explains  itself  sufficiently  to 
those  who  have  ears  to  hear  the  truth,  without  a  reference  to  any- 
other.  Acts  iii.  13  to  15  The  God  of  Abraham,  and  of  Isaac,  and  of 
jfacob,  the  God  of  our  fathers  hath  glorified  his  Son  Jesus,  whom  ye  de- 
livered up,  and  denied  him,  in  the  presence  of  Pilate,  when  he  was  deter- 
mined to  let  him  go  But  ye  denied  the  holy  one,  and  the  just,  and  de- 
sired a  murderer  to  be  granted  unto  you.  And  killed  the  prince  of  lije, 
whom  God  hath  raised  fuom  the  dead;  whereof  xpe  are  witnes- 
s's. Poor  Athanasius!  how  art  thou  foiled !  how  art  thou  fallen,  !<ke 
O'igon  before  the  Ark  of  God!  No  wonder:  the  greatest  Champions 
must  fill,  when  they  attempt  to  subvert  the  plain  and  obvious  truths  of 
the  Gospel :  and  David,  with  a  sling  and  a  stone  in  his  hand,  going  forth 
in  the  name  of  the  LOR  13  of  hosts,  is  superior  to  the  Philistine  Go'iah, 
in  all  his  boasted  strength  and  armour,  who  defied  the  armies  of  thr 
God  of  Israel.     1  Sam.  xvii. 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  &C.  207 

both  of  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  the  first  age  of  the 
proper  humanity  of  Christ,  can  only  be  accounted 
for  on  the  supposition,  that  the  Apostles  themselves 
really  believed  and  preached  it :  for  what  other  rea- 
son could  prompt  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  to  believe 
it?  It  is  strange,  that  the  first  Christians,  J^ws  ai)d 
Gentiles,  should  believe  quite  contrary  to  what  their 
professed  teachers  did,  who  proved  their  doctrines 
by  miracles !  That  the  Apostles  should  be  Trinitari- 
ans, and  both  Jews  and  Gentiles,  Unitarians ;  so 
that  the  Apostles  were  obliged  at  first  to  conceal  their 
chief  doctrines  from  them,  and  only  to  reveal  them 
in  a  slow  and  cautious  manner  as  they  were  able  to 
bear  them. 

This  method  of  acting  on  the  part  of  the  Apos- 
tles cannot  be  admitted,  without  shaking  the  credit 
of  their  testimony.  It  exhibits  them  in  the  light  of 
politicians  and  worldly  minded  men,  who  temporiz- 
ed ;  and  made  great  and  important  truth  subservient 
to  conveniency.  Paul  affirmed  to  the  elders  of  the 
church  of  Ephesus  when  he  took  his  farewell  of 
them,  (Acts  xx.  27)  :  For  I  have  not  shunned  to  de- 
clare unto  you  all  the  counsel  of  God ;  but  We  never 
read  that  he  preached  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  or 
the  divinity  of  Christ  to  them.  And  shall  we  sup- 
pose that  either  he  or  Peter,  would  have  forborne 
to  do  this  from  motives  of  caution  and  prudence. 
Far  be  such  unworthy  shuffling  and  prevarication, 
such  mean  concealment  of  the  truth,  from  the  cha- 
racters of  the  Apostles  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Undoubtedly,  if  they  preached  only  the  humanity 
of  Christ,  it  was  because  they  believed  it  to  be  true, 
and  not  because  they  did  not  think  it  prudent  or  safe 
to  do  otherwise.  B<  sides,  if  they  were  ever  really 
actuated  by  prudential  motives  of  this  kind,  these 
motives  must  have  held  them  long  under  restraint ; 
for  in  no  place  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  nor  any 


208  THE  UN1TARIANISM  OF 

where  else  in  the  New  Testament,  do  we  ever  find 
them  changing  their  language  concerning  Jesus  their 
Master.  To  exhibit  such  a  scheme  of  accounting 
for  the  conduct  of  the  Apostles, — so  full  of  artifice 
and  worldly  wisdom ; — is  quite  sufficient  to  discre- 
dit  it,  and  confute  it. 

I  shall  next  produce  a  passage  from  Justin  Martyr, 
which  has  undergone,  formerly  and  of  late,  great 
discussion,  and  is  a  proof  of  the  great  prevalence  of 
Unitarianism  in  the  early  ages  of  the  church.*  Justin, 
who  lived  towards  the  middle  of  the  second  Centu- 
ry, in  his  Dialogue  with  Trypho  the  Jew,  speaking  of 
the  doctrines  of  the  supposed  pre-existence  and  in- 
carnation of  Christ,  represents  Trypho  as  saying,  viz. 

"  We  have  heard  your  opinion  concerning  these 
"  matters ;  but  resuming  the  subject  you  left,  pro- 
"  ceed  to  say ;  for  you  seem  to  tell  me  of  a  most 
'-'  wonderful  and  incredible  thing,  which  can  never 
"  be  proved.  To  say,  that  this  Christ  pre-existed  as 
"  a  God  before  the  ages,  and  then  to  have  submit- 
"  ted  to  be  born  and  to  be  made  a  man,  and  that  he 
"  was  not  a  man  of  man,  appears  to  me  not  only 
"  wonderful  and  incredible,  but  even  foolish.  To 
**  this  I  answered,  I  know  that  this  opinion  appears 
"  incredible,  and  especially  to  those  of  your  race, 
"  (Jews  by  birth)  ;  who  never  were  inclined,  either 
"  to  understand,  or  to  perform  the  commands  of 
"  God,  but  to  follow  your  own  Teachers,  as  God 
"  himself  exclaims  against  you.  Notwithstanding, 
"  Trypho,  said  I,  that  (foundation)  will  not  be  lost, 

*  Mr.  Biddle  in  his  Testimonies  from  the  Fathers,  quoted  this  pas- 
sage of  yustin  Martyr  and  translated  it  into  English,  150  years  ago  ; 
it  came  afterwards  under  the  consideration  of  those  Unitarians  who 
were  contemporaries  with  Bp.  Bull;  and  in  1783,  the  sense  of  some 
words  in  it  was  warmly  debated  between  the  late  Dr.  Priestley,  Mr. 
Badcock,  and  Dr.  Cappe  of  York.  In  1785,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Lmdsey  made 
a  nevi  and  exact  translation  of  it,  accompanied  with  some  judicious 
observations. 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  kc.  209 

"  viz.  that  this  same  person  is  the  Christ  of  God, 
"  though  I  should  not  be  able  to  prove  that  he  pre- 
"  existed,  being  God,  the  son  of  the  Creator  of  all 
"  things,  and  that  he  was  begotten  a  man  through 
"  the  Virgin.  But  since  it  has  been  already  fully 
"  shown  that  he  is  the  Christ  of  God,  whatever 
"  else  he  be  ;  though  I  should  not  prove  that  he  pre- 
"  existed,  and  submitted  to  be  born  a  man  having 
"  flesh,  subject  to  the  like  affections  and  sufferings 
"  with  us,  according  to  the  will  of  the  Father :  it 
"  will  be  right  to  say,  that  in  this  only  I  have  been 
"  mistaken,  and  not  to  deny  that  he  is  the  Christ, 
"  though  he  should  appear  to  be  a  man  born  of 
"  men,  and  it  should  be  proved  that  he  was  made 
"  Christ  by  election.  For  there  are  some  of  our 
"  race,  (Gentiles  by  birth,  but  believing  in  Christ) 
"  said  I,  O  Friends,  who  confess  him  to  be 
"  the  Christ,  but  declare  him  to  be  a  man  of  men. 
"  To  whom  I  do  not  assent,  though  the  greatest 
"  part  of  them  should  say  that  they  have  been  of 
"  the  same  opinion  :  because  we  are  commanded  by 
"  Christ  himself,  not  to  obey  the  teachings  of  men, 
"  but  what  was  proclaimed  by  the  blessed  prophets  and 
"  taught  by  himself.  To  this  Trypho  replied.  They 
"  who  say  that  he  was  born  a  man,  and  that  he  was 
"  by  election  anointed,  and  made  Christ,  seem  to  exhi- 
"  bit  your  Doctrine  (viz.  Christianity)  in  a  more  credi- 
"  ble  form  than  you  do.  For  all  of  us  expect  that 
"  Christ  will  be  born,  a  man  of  men,  and  that  Elias 
"  will  come  to  anoint  him.  If,  therefore,  this  person 
"  should  appear  to  be  the  Christ,  it  behoves  him  by 
"  all  means  to  be  known  as  a  man  born  of  men."* 

*  Kat<  o  TpttfoJv,  >c  zjifi  thtuy  ocrx  (ppvtis  xx,rivriX(j.tv  enrty'  avxkxSuv 
hv  TO)  Xoyov  ojev  ttixvauj.  iripxive'  rix^xSo^f.s  ris  yxg  -era!;  ax:  ^.>j  ivvx/Aev^; 
sAi'i  xTt'.duyy-rttxi  ooxet  (jloi  sivxi.  To  yxq  "hzy-Hv  at  'rr^Hirxf^ny  ©£;>  ovlx 
ttso  ai'MVjjt  T»7-r,y  Toy  Xgi<ro*}  htx  xxi  ywri$y*xi  av-J£27rov  <\zv-v.tvit  vTSOfxt- 

ES 


210  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF 

There  are  several  important  inferences  that  may 
be  drawn  from  this  passage  of  Justin  Martyr. 

1 .  That  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  divinity  and  pre- 
existence  had  at  this  period  gained  very  little  foot- 
ing among  Christians,  if  it  was  not  the  invention  of 
Justin  himself ;  for  we  do  not  find  him  appealing  to 
former  writers  on  the  subject,  or  even  to  the  general 
opinion  of  Christians  in  his  time,  but  only  to  his 
own  sense,  or  interpretation,  of  the  Scriptures; 
which  appears  from  the  nature  of  his  comments  to 
have  been  a  very  erroneous  one. 

2.  The  diffidence  with  which  Justin  expresses  his 
own  opinion,  and  the  doubt  which  he  intimates  whe- 
ther he  should  be  able  to  demonstrate  that  Christ 
pre-existed,  and  his  asserting  that  in  case  of  a  failure 
in  his  proof,  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  would  remain 
firm  notwithstanding,  are  all  indications  that  the 
doctrine  of  the   Divinity  and  Pre-existence  of  the 

vxi-,  xxi  on  a  xvjgo'rrot  i%  xv^^otia ,  a  (/.ovov  mxp xoo^ov  doxet  (xot  hvxi  xKKx 
xxi  (/.opov.  Kxi  wgot  txvIx  e^w,  o<5''  oil  •z?xgxdoj;ot  o  \oyos  <W«  mxi  xxi 
fj,x\i?x  rois  a/no  yivut  v[j.uv,  oi  thm  lx  ra  Qsw  ovrt  vonaxt  ovrs  itoi-naxi 
7T0TB  iStkovXiQcrZe ,  xWx  roc  ruv  awxaxxXaiv  v/xuv ,  ait  xvrot  o  @eot  (3ox ,    Ho*j 

(AVIV    TO/,     hi  TpVpUV      E/TTOy,     OVX  XZJoWl'lxi  TO  TOItJIOV     BiVXt    XglfOV    T0V    ©SB  IXV 

xTtooet^xi  p.f>  ovvai/AXt  oti  kxi  ttg Httrtp %ev,  viot  t«  zjoisth  tuiv  oXuv  ©sot  uv  y^ 
ytysvvnTxt  xvZgozjot  otx  r'lt  'uJxpQwu.  AWx  tx  "usxvTot  xzyo^eixvvfASvv  on  bios 
£S-;v  o  Xgi<roso  th  0EK-  o^it  aros  Efa;,  ixv  $e  fAt)  xitoouxwui  on  tt^attigyt  xxt 
yivvSmxt  xvZgozjos  ofAOiozsxZvtt  'n[Atv .  crxgxx  tyuvi  axrx  tyjv  tov  'zsxlpot  /3«- 
Xr>v.  vizi[ahvev,  ev  tovtui  wn'hxvnaZxi  /as  /aovov  Xsystv  dtxxiov.  xKKx  (a'/i  ag- 
■ueta-jaci  on  urot  Ef<»  o  Xgtrot,  txv  tyxtviilxt  ut  cxvZgo'uSos  tj-  xv^gozsaiv  ycvvn- 
Css,  xxt  zxhoyv)  ysvo/Atvot  ett  tov  Xgt^ov  eivxt  x-hoohkvwIou  .  K.xt  yxp  h<ti 
rivet,  at  CptXoi  eXiyov-,  xno  ra  yy.elega  yevtst  o/AoXoynvlst  xvlov  X^/fov  eivxt-  ccv- 

SpoCTOV  OS    e£    XV^^O'STOV    ytVQfAEVOV     XTTOtyxiVO/AtVOI .  On       B    0~Vv\St[AXi'    Ol/cT   XV 

ffiAefoi  txvIx  /xoi  oo^xijxvlet  etTjoitv .  £7rflo\j  ovx  xvogoireioit  oioxyiAX<ri  xexe- 
\ev?/AE§ac  vn  xvth  T«  X^i-ts  CTe/.JEcrSa/,  aXXx  Toit  otx  raiv  /Axxxpiuiv  -ETfo^j- 
luv  tn^vfcJeio-i  xxi  oi  xvla  oidxy^eiat.  Kxi  o  Tgv(paiv-  c/aoi  /acv  ooxxatvi  RWEy, 
oi  fcyoykt  xvJgorjov  ysyovevxi  xvlov  x.xi  y.xt  tyXoynv  Ks^pia^xi,  axi  Xgi^ov 
yiyvivxi;  <tti%ciyidkqav  v[xuv  Xsynv  tuiv  txvIx  xnrsq  (firis  Xiyovluv  xxt  yxg 
iravlti  t)^Hi  tov  Xgi<?ov  xvQgowov  e|  at^oroi  irpoa^oxuiAsv  yvmusa^xi^  xxt  Tov 
EXixv  ygiaoci  xvlo'v  sKZovlx.  Exv  Je  slot  tyxivrilxi  uv  o  Xgifot,  xv^^wnov  (xsv 
e|  xvh^'jimuv  ysvo/xivov  sx  tsxv\ot  nri<?xa'$xi  $ei.  Justini  Philosophi  r( 
Vlartyria  O/ici-a,  Lutetian  Parisiorura.  1615.  p.  267,  268. 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  &C.  211 

Messiah,  was  at  that  time  accounted  a  novel  and 
very  precarious  opinion. 

3.  Though  Justin  does  not  expressly  assert,  that 
the  doctrine  of  the  proper  humanity  of  Christ  was 
the  prevailing  opinion  in  his  time  both  among  Jews 
and  Gentiles ;  yet  from  his  words  he  affords  some 
room  to  conclude  that  this  was  the  case.  "  Though 
the  greatest  part  of  them  (or  the  majority)  should 
say  that  they  have  been  of  the  same  opinion."  If 
Justin  had  been  conscious  that  the  Majority  of  the 
Gentile  Christians  had  been  upon  his  side,  he  would 
no  doubt  have  asserted  the  fact  without  the  least  he- 
sitation ;  and  ought  to  have  done  so. 

Another  testimony  which  I  shall  produce,  when 
compared  with  that  of  Justin,  will  have  great  force 
to  show,  that  the  Gentile  Christians  in  the  second 
Century  must  have  been  generally  Unitarians. 

Tertullian  a  Latin  Father,  who  lived  a  little  later 
than  Justin,  towards  the  end  of  the  second  century, 
has  a  passage  respecting  the  Unitarians  of  his  time 
as  follows. 

"  For  the  simple,  that  I  may  not  say,  the  igno- 
"  rant,  and  unlearned,  who  are  always  the  greater 
"  part  of  (the  body  of)  believers,  (or  Christians) 
"  since  the  Rule  of  Faith  transfers  (our  worship) 
"  from  many  Gods  of  the  age  (or  heathen  world)  to 
"  the  one  only  and  true  God,  not  understanding 
"  that  the  Unity  of  God  is  to  be  believed  with 
"  its  oeconomy,  dread  this  oeconomy.  They  pre- 
"  suppose  that  the  number  and  disposition  of  a  Tri- 
"  nity  is  a  division  of  the  Unity ;  when  the  Unity 
"  deriving  the  Trinity  from  itself,  is  not  destroyed 
"  by  it,  but  administered.  They  therefore  affirm  that 
"  two  and  even  three  Gods  are  confessed  by  us,  but 
"  they  presuppose  themselves  to  be  worshippers  of 
"  one  God.  As  if  the  Unity  irrationally  collected, 
"  may  not  make  a  heresy,  and  the  Trinity  rationally 


212  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF 

"  considered,  may  not  constitute  a  truth.  We,  they 
"  say,  hold  the  monarchy.  And  so  also  the  Latins 
"  express  the  sound  vocally,  as  do  also  the  Barba- 
"  rians,  that  you  may  think  that  they  understand 
"  the  monarchy  as  well  as  they  pronounce  it.  Even 
"  the  Latins  are  desirous  to  bawl  out  the  monarchy, 
"  and  the  Creeks  themselves  will  not  understand  the 
"  oeconomy."* 

This  passage  carries  light  and  conviction,  like  a 
sun  beam,  upon  the  subject  in  question.  It  is  clear 
and  undeniable  from  it  that  the  Unitarians  in  Africa, 
where  Tertullian  lived,  were  the  major  pars  credentiumy 
the  "  majority''    or    "  greater  part  of  believers:"! 

*  Simplices  enim  qtiippe,  ne  dixerim  imprudentes  et  idiotae,  quae 
major  semper  credentium  pars  est,  quoniam  et  ipsa  regula  tidei  a  plu- 
ribus  diis  seculi,  ad  unicum  et  deum  verum  transfert ;  non  intelligen- 
tes  unic\im  q  ndem,  scd  cum  sua  oeconomia  esse  credendum,  expa- 
vescunt  ad  occonumiara.  Niimeruni  et  dispositionem  trinitatis,  divisi- 
onem  prsesumiint  unitatis  ;  quando  unitas  ex  semetipsa  derivans  iritii- 
tatem,  non  destruatur  ab  ilia,  sed  administretur.  Itaque  duos  et  tres 
jam  jactitant  a  nobis  prcdicari,  se  vero  unius  dei  cultores  prsesumunt. 
Quasi  non  et  unitas  irrationaliter  collecta,  hjcresim  faciat,  trinitas  ra- 
tionaliter  expensa,  veritatem  constituat.  Monarchiam,  inquiunt,  tene- 
m-^s.  Et  ita  sonum  vocaliter  exprimunt  etiam  Latini,  etiam  opici,  ut 
putes  illos  turn  bene  intelligere  monavchiam,  quam  enunciant.  Sed 
monarchiam  sonare  student  Latini,  oeconomiam  intelligere  nolur.t 
etiam  Grasci.  Tertulllanl  Opera.  Edit.  Rigaltii.  Parisiis.  1695.  p.  502. 
Adver.  Pi  axe  am. 

-J-  Upon  a  cool,  candid,  and  impartial  Review  of  this  passage  in 
Philadelphia  in  September  1808,  I  am  of  opinion  that  much  more  may 
be  inferred  from  it  in  favour  of  the  general  prevalence  of  Unitarian- 
ism  "in  the  Christian  Church,  among  the  people  at  large,  in  the  time  of 
Tertullian,  than  I  actually  did  infer  from  it  fourteen  years  ago,  when 
I  composed  what  is  said  ;  bove  in  the  city  of  Glasgow  in  1794. 

It  is  my  opinion,  that  it  may  be  fairly  inferred  from  this  place  of 
Tertullian  without  any  stiaining,  that  about  the  year  200  of  the  Chris- 
tian Dera,  not  only  the  major  pars  credentiuvi,  "  the  great  body  of  be- 
lieving Christians"  in  Africa  where  Tertullian  lived  were  Unitarians, 
but  also  that  people  of  the  same  description,  as  they  are  characterized 
by  h  m,  were  Unitarians  also  throughout  the  Roman  Empire,  or  where 
the  Greek  and  Latin  languages  were  spoken. 

1.  For  observe,  that  Tertullian  speaks  of  the  greater  part  of  believers 
in  general,  without  restraining  the  expression  to, any  particular  coun- 
try :  and  the  reason  which  he  assigns  why  the  greater  part  of  believers 
dreaded,  and  rejected  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  is  a  reason  which 
must  have  had  great  weight  in  every  country  where  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion was  professed.     "  Since  the  Mule  of  Faith?'  (by  which  he  un- 


THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH,  &C.  213 

and  that  when  be  and  other  Platonizing  Fathers  be- 
gan to  preach  the  Trinity  to  them,  and  to  recom- 
mend it  by  such  sophistical  and  delusive  terms  of 
art  as  might  tend  to  hide  its  deformity  from  them, 
they  "  dreaded  it,"  expavescunt,  "  shuddered  at  it" 
or  heard  it  with  horror  and  aversion,  as  an  infringe- 
ment of  the  Unity  of  God,  and  implying  the  belief 
of  two  or  even  three  Gods ;  and  that  all  Tertullian* s 
scholastic  reasonings,  laboured  apologies,  and  tech- 
nical terms,  could  not  reconcile  them  to  this  doctrine, 
or  make  it  go  down  with  them. 

A  strong  and  striking  proof  that  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  was  then  a  novelty,  lately  brought  into 
public  view,  and  that  the  doctrine  of  the  simple 
Divine  Unity  was  the  ancient  doctrine  of  the  church, 
which  the  people  had  received  from  their  ancestors,and 

doubtedly  means  the  Apostles  Creed)  "transfers  the  worship  of  many 
Gods  of  the  age  to  the  one  only  and  true  Cod." 

The  Apostles  Creed,  as  we  have  shown  in  our  thirteenth  Dissertation, 
is  strictly  Unitarian,  and  was  received  by  general  consent  in  the  Chris- 
tian Churches.  The  great  body  of  the  people  therefore,  must  have 
been  Unitarians  in  all  Christian  churches  in  other  countries  as  well  as  in 
Africa,  and  Tertullian  expressly  says  they  were  so,  by  their  belief  of,  or 
attachment  to,  the  Rule  of  Faith,  or  "  the  Apostles  Creed."  They  were 
led  by  this  simple,  noble,  Apostolic  Creed  to  reject  the  doctrine  of  the 
Trinity,  and  shudder  at  it,  as  a  novelty,  inconsistent  with  the  ancient 
doctrine  of  the  Church  ;  when  first  proposed  to  them  by  their  Pla- 
tonizing" Teachers,  and  to  say,  that  these  their  teachers  "  were  con- 
fessors of  two  and  even  of  three  Gods,  while  they  themselves  were  wor- 
shippers of  one  God."  Blessed  ancient  Believers  !  how  much  do  I  admire 
your  christian  zeal,  and  your  christian  integrity ;  in  rejecting  an  intricate, 
and  impious  novelty,  and  adhering  to  the  plain  doctrine  of  the  Apostles 
Creed.  I  bless  God,  that  through  the  greatest  part  of  my  life  I  have 
been  led  to  imitate  your  example,  and  hope  I  shall  have  grace  given 
me  to  persevere  unto  the  end. 

2.  Tertullian  adds,  "  Even  the  Latins  are  desirous  to  bawl  out  the 
monarchy,  and  the  Greeks  themselves  will  not  understand  the  oecono- 
my."  From  these  words  it  is  apparent,  that  Tertullian  is  speaking  of 
the  general  state  of  opinions  in  his  time  respecting  the  subject  he  is 
treating  of,  and  affirms  that  the  general  sentiment  in  all  christian 
churches  was  in  favour  of  the  Unitarian  doctrine  ;  and  not  merely  of 
the  prevailing  opinions  of  a  particular  country.  He  was  a  very  learn- 
ed man,  and  of  general  information  ;  his  account  of  things  may  there- 
fore be  depended  upon  as  correct;  more  especially  when  his  testimony 
is  corroborated  by  that  of  other  Fathers. 


2J4  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF  &C. 

which  had  been  conveyed  to  their  ancestors  by  the 
Apostles.  For  how  could  the  great  body  of  the 
christian  people  be  Unitarians  in  so  early  an  age,  if 
they  had  not  been  taught  that  doctrine  by  their  an- 
cestors, and  from  whom  couid  their  ancestors  receive 
it  but  from  the  first  teachers  of  Christianity,  viz.  the 
Apostles  of  our  Lord. 

This  striking  passage  throws  light  upon  the  quo- 
tation from  Justin  Martyr,  and  gives  an  additional 
strength  to  our  interpretation  of  it.  It  also  adds 
weight  to  our  way  of  receiving  the  words  of  Atha- 
nasius.  And  when  the  testimonies  of  all  the 
three  are  fairly  appretiated  and  combined  together, 
they  form  a  triple  cord  that  is  not  easily  broken,  and 
a  weight  of  evidence  that  cannot  fairly  be  gainsayed. 

The  evidence  of  these  Fathers  is  the  stronger  be- 
cause they  were  all  Trinitarians,  such  as  the  Trini- 
ty was  held  in  their  days,  and  consequently  would 
say  nothing  willingly  against  the  credit  of  their 
own  party.  The  testimony  of  Adversaries,  when 
given  in  favour  of  those  with  whom  they  are  at 
variance,  is  allowed  in  a  court  of  equity  to  be  the 
strongest  of  all  evidence.  And  so  it  is  with  respect 
to  the  case  bofore  us.  The  Unitarianism  of  the  pri- 
mitive Church  is  proved  from  the  explicit  conces- 
sions and  acknowledgments  of  three  noted  oppo- 
nents. 

Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  God 
only  wise  :  Be  honour  and  glory,  through  Jesus  Christ, 
for  ever  and  ever.  Amen.  1  Tim.  i.  17.  Rom. 
xvi.  27. 


DISSERTATION  XV. 

FARTHER   EVIDENCE  FROM   ANCIENT 
ECCLESIASTICAL  WRITERS, 

THAT 

THE  FIRST  JEWISH  AND  GENTILE  CHURCHES  HELD 
THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE  ; 

WITH  SOME  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 
1   TIMOTHY  ii.  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
,  and  ?nen,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

XN  the  foregoing  Dissertation,  we  produced  some 
very  clear  and  striking  evidence  in  proof  of  the  first 
Christian  Churches,  both  Jewish  and  Gentile,  having 
been  Unitarian.  Among  other  things,  we  urged 
the  testimonies  of  three  celebrated  Christian  Fathers, 
viz.  Athanasius,  Justin  Martyr,  and  Tertu/Iian,  which 
taken  in  connection  have  a  peculiar  force  and 
strength,  and  prove  much  more  than  any  one  of 
them  could  do,  considered  singly. 

The  Evidence  arising  from  the  acknowledgments 
of  these  Fathers  is  much  stronger  when  it  is  consi- 
dered that  they  were  Trinitarians,  and  so  not  likelv 


2 1 Q  THE  UNITARIANISM  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  CHURCH 

to  advance  any  thing  to  the  discredit  of  their  own 
party,  except  unwillingly  and  when  off  their  guard. 

Nor  are  these  concessions  peculiar  to  the  three 
Fathers  beforementioned.  Many  passages  of  a  simi- 
lar nature,  implying  either  directly  or  indirectly  the 
same,  have  been  extracted  from  the  writings  of  the 
Fathers  in  general,  by  a  celebrated  Advocate  for 
Unitarianism,  and  delivered  at  large  to  the  world. 
Among  these  the  names  of  Chrysostom^  Theodoret, 
Theopbylacty  Oecumenius^  and  others  appear ;  all  bear- 
ing evidence,  to  the  extreme  caution  with  which  in 
their  judgment  the  Apostles  found  it  necessary  to  di- 
vulge the  doctrine  of  the  divinity  of  Christ,  and  also 
to  the  prevalence  of  Unitarianism  among  Jews  and 
Gentiles  in  the  first  age  of  the  Church. 

All  these  Fathers  grant  in  the  fullest  manner,  that 
neither  the  Pre-existence  nor  the  Divinity  of  Christ 
were  ever  taught  explicitly  by  the  three  first  Evange- 
lists, or  by  the  author  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles; 
and  assign  some  curious,  prudential  reasons  for  this 
reserve,  and  silence.  John  they  suppose  indeed,  to 
have  taught  these  Doctrines  fully,  and  clearly ;  but 
John  came  too  late  to  teach  them  with  proper  effect; 
and  if  they  were  never  taught  so  as  to  be  understood 
before  the  publication  of  his  Gospel,  the  evil  was 
past  remedy.* 

We  have  before  shown  in  the  course  of  these  Dis- 
sertations, that  it  is  impossible  to  suppose  that  John 
should  teach  any  thing  with  respect  to  any  important 
article  of  Christianity,  different  from  the  rest  of  the 
Aoostles.  To  suppose  this  would  be  highly  danger- 
ous indeed  !  All  the  Apostles  were  equally  charged 
with  the  trust  of  communicating  the  tenets  of  their 

*  See  Priesti, ey's  History  of  Early  Opinions  concerning  Jfiesits 
Christ,  compiled  from  Original  Writers ;  proving  tlt.it  the  Christian 
Church  took  at  fr jt  Unitarian,  in  4  Vols.  8vo.  Binuir.gimni,  1786.  Vol. 
•).  p.   101  to  15?'. 


GRANTED  BY  MANY  FATHERS.       217 

great  Master,  and  were  commanded  to  proclaim  pub- 
licly, or  preach  upon  the  home  tops,  what  was  told 
them  in  secret;*  they  were  equally  "  witnesses  of 
Christ's  resurrection  ;"f  they  had  equally  the  gift  o'x. 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  to  guide  them  into  all  truth  :\  and 
if  any  of  them,  or  the  majority  of  them,  concealed 
or  smuggled  any  important  truth  from  prudential 
considerations,  they  were  unfaithful  witnesses  indeed, 
and  this  concealment  might  have  been  sufficient  to 
impair  the  credibility  of  the  whole  of  their  testimony. 

The  writings  of  John  therefore,  notwithstanding 
the  erroneous  glosses  and  comments  of  the  Fathers, 
must  be  understood  and  interpreted  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  those  of  the  three  preceding  Evangelists ;  and 
of  consequence  the  pretended  proof  of  the  pre-ex- 
istence  and  divinity  of  Christ  arising  from  John's 
supposed  testimony  will  be  found  to  be  a  gross  mis- 
take. And  if  we  will  indeed  read  the  Gospel  of 
John  with  candour  and  fairness,  and  attend  to  the  nV 
gurative  nature  of  his  style,  we  shall  find  no  real  dif- 
ficulty in  bringing  him  to  an  agreement  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  other  Evangelists ;  as  we  have  before 
fully  shown. 

In  confirmation  of  the  general  evidence  we  have 
produced  that  the  Christian  Church  was  Unitarian 
in  the  first  ages,  we  shall  take  notice  of  what  has 
been  said  by  ancient  writers  of  the  Ebionites  and 
Nazarenes,  two  names  by  which  the  Jewish  Christians 
were  particularly  distinguished. 

It  is  well  known,  and  must  be  evident  to  every 
one  who  has  read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  the 
first  church  or  assembly  of  Christians,  and  the  pa- 
rent of  all  other  churches,  was  the  church  of 
Jerusalem  : — that  pure  church  which   was  formed 

■  Math.  x.  27.      f  Acts  i.  8,-21,  22.        i-  John  xvi.  13. 

Ff 


218  THE  FIRST  JEWISH  CHRISTIANS 

immediately   after  our  Lord's  ascension  under  the 
ministry  of  the  Apostles. 

If  it  can  be  proved  by  certain  evidence  that  this 
church  was  Unitarian^  it  will  follow  by  inevitable 
consequence  that  all  other  early  churches  must  have 
been  so  also  ;  and  thus  the  question  will  be  decided 
entirely  in  favour  of  the  Unitarians.  And  here,  the 
best  and  most  unexceptionable  evidence  that  we  have 
is  derived  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  which,  as 
far  as  it  goes,  affords  very  ample  testimony,  that  no- 
thing but  the  Unity  of  God  in  the  Person  of  the  Father, 
and  the  Messiahship  and  Proper  Humanity  of  Jesus, 
was  ever  taught  there  by  the  Apostles. 

This  evidence  we  have  already  exhibited  in  its  full 
strength,*  and  at  present  it  is  our  business  to  prove 
from  ancient  ecclesiastical  Writers,  that  those  called 
Ebionites  and  Nazarenes  were  the  successors  of  those 
Jewish  Christians  that  composed  the  first  Church  at 
Jerusalem.  But  here  it  is  much  to  be  lamented,  that 
none  of  the  writings  of  these  Jewish  Unitarian  Chris- 
tians have  come  down  to  us  ;  so  that  all  the  evidence 
^we  can  collect  concerning  them  is  from  incidental 
expressions  occurring  in  the  works  of  their  professed 
adversaries,  who  cannot  be  expected  to  give  the  most 
fair  and  candid  account  of  them.  Yet,  notwith- 
standing, making  the  best  use  we  can  of  the  brief 
hints  concerning  them  found  in  the  writings  of  the 
Fathers,  and  putting  the  most  reasonable  construc- 
tion upon  the  passages  that  have  been  alledged  and 
so  much  controverted,  the  evidence  upon  the  whole 
preponderates  that  these  Jewish  Christians  must  have 
been  Unitarians,  and  the  successors  of  the  Apostles 
and  first  members  of  the  church  of  Jerusalem. 

Some  modern  Trinitarians  well  knowing  what  a 
mortal  wound  their  cause  would  receive,  could  it  be 

*  See  Dissertation  iii.  p.  40,  41. .  v.  p.  79  to  S3,     xiii.  p.  1S8,  189. 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  21© 

satisfactorily  proved,  that  these  Ebionites  and  Naza* 
•renes  were  the  genuine  successors  of  the  first  Jewish 
Christians  at  Jerusalem,  have  struggled  hard  to  per- 
plex the  evidence,  and  to  prove  that  these  Ebionites 
and  Nazaranes  took  their  rise  after  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  by  Titus,  or  even  still  later  in  the  time  of 
the  general  dispersion  of  the  Jews  in  the  reign  of 
Adrian  ;  thereby  endeavouring  to  make  them  a  dif- 
ferent body  of  men  from  the  first  Jewish  Christians 
at  Jerusalem.  ■ 

It  has  also  been  pretended  by  the  same  class  of 
writers,  that  there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  be- 
tween the  Ebionites  and  the  Nazarenes,  the  former 
•viz.  the  Ebionites  holding  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  be- 
ing a  mere  man,  and  the  latter  admitting  his  divini- 
ty ;  though  both  sects  concurred  in  their  attachment 
to  the  ritual  ceremonies  of  the  Jewish  law. 

In  opposition  to  this  very  considerable  evidence 
has  been  brought  to  prove,  that  the  Ebionites  and 
Nazarenes  were  the  same  people ;  and  that  they  ex- 
isted in  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  which  if  it  can  be 
fully  made  out,  there  will  remain  little  doubt  but  that 
they  were  their  genuine  successors.  To  omit  some 
less  considerable  testimonies,  the  evidence  of  Origen, 
who  lived  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Judea,  and  was 
one  of  the  most  learned  of  the  Fathers,  is  very  clear 
to  this  purpose. 

Origen  says,  "  that  a  poor  man  is  called  Ebion  by 
w  the  Jews ;  and  that  those  among  the  Jews  who  ac- 
cc  knowledge  Jesus  as  the  Christ  are  styled  Ebion- 
Ci  ites."*  In  this  quotation,  we  find  all  the  Jewish 
Christians  comprehended  under  the  term  Ebionites. 
Origen  gives  a  distinct  account  of  their  opinion  con- 

*  Efjiuv  T£  yxq  o  zrlui^os  nxgot.  lij^xiois  KxKeilxi.  Kai  Eki^jvanos  Xpr,(A.xli- 
Cv(Ttv  en  uzjo  la'Sociuiv  rov  lycrtsv  us  Xgirovi  ZJx^ah^acfxEvou  Origenes  COP.' 
tra  Cdsum,  Edit.  Spenceri.  Cunub.  1677.  X.ib.  ii.  p.  56. 


220  THE  FIRST  JEWISH  CHRISTIANS 

cerning  the  person  of  Jesus  our  Lord  in  the  follow- 
ing passage. 

"  And  when  you  consider  the  faith  concerning 
."  our  Saviour  of  those  among  the  Jews  who  believe 
"  in  Jesus,  some  indeed  thinking  him  to  derive  his 
"  existence  from  Joseph  and  Mary,  and  some  indeed 
*c  from  Mary  only  and  the  Divine  Spirit,  but  not 
"  however  with  any  belief  of  his  divinity,  you  will 
"  perceive,  &c."* 

This  passage  from  Origen  is  very  express,  and  it  is 
so  clear,  that  some  late  Trinitarian  Writers  could 
find  no  way  to  avoid  its  force  but  by  taxing  the  ve- 
racity of  Origen  and  charging  him  with  wilful  false- 
hood. Had  Origen  been  disposed  to  favour  the 
Unitarians,  there  might  have  been  some  plausibility 
though  no  certainty  in  a  charge  of  this  kind;  but 
when  it  is  considered,  that  he  was  a  Trinitarian,  who 
had  deeply  imbibed  the  Platonic  Theology,  the  charge 
must  appear  groundless  and  uncandid  in  a  high  de- 
gree. Origen  could  have  no  purpose  to  serve,  as 
far  as  we  know,  to  represent  the  Jewish  Christians  at 
Unitarians  if  they  w  ere  not  so,  and  his  testimony,  what- 
ever prejudiced  persons  may  say,  will  ever  have  great 
weight  with  men  of  real  judgment  and  candour. 

But  to  confirm  what  Origen  has  advanced,  we  shall 
alledge  another  powerful  testimony.  Eusebhts  the 
ecclesiastical  historian,  a  very  great  adversary  of  Uni- 
tarians, or  of  those  who  believed  our  Lord  to  be 
really  a  man,  as  appears  from  his  inveterate  opposi- 
tion to  Marcellus  of  Ancyra,  describes  the  Ebionites 
in  the  very  same  manner  that  Origen  had  done  before 
him. 


*  Kaci  iiruv  toys  ran  cczso  IhSxiujv  BfffttKwwv  us  rov  lyo-tsv  rr,v  cs|7  m  cro- 
lr,pos  zurivy  ore  fA.sy  in  Mocrixs  koci  t«  \ooa"n<p  oio[/.evwv  avlov  Htctt^  -ors  //.£*  tx. 

NaCltZS    [J.O]l'/)i-    XXI      TV     &tfS     ■ZJVSV/J.xloS,     U  fJLtV    XXI    (jLslx    TflS   ttgl     OLv\»     $B0~ 

}.v/«5S5-:  o\J/«,  &c.  Origenia  thmnventx  in  Matt.  Edit.  Mucin,  Vol.  I. 
p.  4-27. 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  221 

"  A  malignant  Daemon  (he  says)  took  possession 
"  of  others,  finding  them  entangled  in  certain  re- 
"  spects,  though  unable  to  remove  their  attachment 
"  to  the  Christ  of  God.  The  Ancients  commonly 
"  called  these  persons  Ebionites,  as  thinking  meanly 
"  and  humbly  concerning  Christ.  For  they  account 
"  him  to  be  only  of  the  common  and  ordinary  rank 
"  of  men,  begotten  of  Mary's  husband,  but  justifU 
"  ed  (or  dignified)  by  the  excellence  of  his  morals. 

u But  others  being  of  the  same  appellation 

"  with  these,  receding  from  the  absurd  incongruity 
"  of  the  forementioned  (opinions),  do  not  deny  that 
"  the  Lord  was  born  of  a  Virgin  and  of  the  holy 
"  Spirit.  These  indeed,  however,  in  like  manner, 
"  not  confessing  him  to  pre-exist,  being  God  the 
"  Word  and  Wisdom,  were  drawn  round  into  the 
"  impiety  of  the  former."* 

Here  we  have  the  opinion  of  Origen  authenticated 
by  that  of  Euscbius ;  both  men  of  learning,  and 
both  living  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Ebionites ; 
and  consequently  having  an  opportunity  of  being 
well  informed  concerning  their  tenets.  They  both 
agree  that  there  were  two  sorts  of  them,  the  one  be- 
lieving that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  Joseph  and  Mary ; 
and  the  other,  that  he  was  the  Son  of  Mary,  but 
conceived  by  the  holy  Spirit ;  but  both  adhering  to 
the  doctrine  of  his  Proper  Humanity,  and  denying 
his  Pre-existence  and  Divinity. 

*  AXXas  ot  o  zrovngos  ^utt^'jiv  T'/is  'atct  rov  X^(fov  T«  ©ta  SixQhtsws  aSu- 
vxluv  suvettrou-  Sxlipxtoiflus  svpuv  safytiepiQlo.  Evtvvxws  rovlus  o:vitius  i<ni$ri~ 
uiipv  ci  vrgulot,  tslayjas  rxt  Tometvys  rx  zapi  r&  X^/fa  <to%xfyilxs.  A/jod 
wev  yxp  xvlov  xxi  xoivov  Yiyuvio  kxIx  zrooy.oTTnv  r,$tst  ocvhv  /xovov  avSgozjov  £s5/- 

Xtzmygvov  s£  avo^os  te  xaiv&ntas  x.xt  rvs  Mxgixs  ytyiwyiW)' aKKot 

«£  ntxfx  rales  rms  awns  ov/ss  zzpoavyopixs,  rm  p-iv  rm  eipri/xsv:ov  exlotrov  ^;t5'<- 
o^xay.ov  cch7Tizv-;  e>c  ttxpZzvti  xxi  rov  xyiu  znsyftMas  (/.y>  tzgi/XfJUvoi  ysyinvxi 
rov  Kvgiov'  ov  |UEv  £&  ononis  y.xi  o-Sloi  zs^H^sxpyjuv  a JI'ov,  ©eov  Aoyoy  ovlx  xxi 
ffotytav  ofAoXcyuvks,  rn  rut  vgokgaa  izsgielpeirovio  oicrai^iix.  Kustbii  JLccles. 
Hisioria.  Edit.  Vaiesii.  Parisiis.  1659.  Lib.  iii.  Cap.  27.  p.  99. 


5222  THE  FIRST  JEWISH  CHRISTIANS 

The  testimony  of  two  such  early,  well  informed 
writers  can  never  be  counterbalanced  or  redargued, 
by  broken  hints,  and  ill  founded  conjectures,  or  by 
the  testimony  of  a  writer  that  lived  at  two  thousand 
miles  distance*  and  had  no  opportunity  of  being 
well  informed  on  the  subject. 

The  testimony  of  Jerom  another  learned  Father, 
though  not  so  clearly  expressed  as  those  of  the  two 
foregoing  writers,  is,  when  fairly  and  properly  con- 
sidered, by  no  means  contradictory  to  them.  It  is 
as  follows. 

"  If  this  be  true  we  fall  into  the  heresy  of  Cherin- 
"  tus  and  Ebion,  who  believing  in  Christ,  were  ana- 
*c  thematized  by  the  Fathers  for  this  (cause)  only, 
"  that  they  mixed  the  ceremonies  of  the  law  with 
■"  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  and  so  confessed  the  new 
•"  (institutions),  as  that  they  might  not  lose  the  old. 
•"  What  shall  I  say  concerning  the  Ebionites,  who 
**  pretend  that  they  are  Christians  ?  A  heresy  is  (or 
"  exists)  even  to  this  day  among  the  Jews,  through 
4e  all  the  synagogues  of  the  east,  which  is  called  that 
*e  of  the  Mine/,  and  is  even  now  condemned  by  the. 
"  Pharisees,  whom  they  commonly  call  Nazarwes, 
*«  who  believe  in  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  born  of 
<e  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  say,  that  it  was  he  who  suf- 
<e  fered  under  Pontius  Pilate,  and  rose  again,  in 
■"  whom  also  we  believe:  but  while  they  wish  to  be 
*'  both  Jews  and  Christiaus,  they  are  neither  Jews 
"  nor  Christians."! 

*  Sulpiiius  Severus. 
j  Si  hoc  vernm  est;  in  Cherinti  et  Hebionis  hxresim  dilabimur, qui 
credent es  in  Christo,  propter  hoe  solum  a  patribus  anathematizati 
tunl  ;  Qiiodlegis  cacre.monias  Christi  evangelio  miscuerunt,  et  sic  nova 
eonfessi  sunt,  ut  vetcra  non  amitterent.  Quid  dicam  de  Hebionitis, 
qui  Christianos  esse  se  simulant  ?  Usque  hodie  per  totas  orient  is  syna- 
£ogas  inter  Juclseos  hxresis  est,  qua;  dicitur  mineorum,  et  a  Pharisees 
name  usque  damnatur,  quos  vulgw  Nazarrcos  nuncupant,  qui  credunt 
in  Christum,  hlium  dei,  natum  de  virgine  Maria,  et  eum  dicunt  esse, 
<$Ui  sub  Pontio  Pilato  passiis  est,  et  rcsurrexit,  in  quern  et  nos  credi- 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  223 

Epiphanius,  though  in  speaking  of  the  Jewish 
Christians,  he  divides  them  into  Ebionites  and  Naza- 
renes, yet  it  does  not  appear  from  all  his  testimonies 
taken  together  and  impartially  stated,  that  the  Naza- 
renes  believed  in  the  divinity  of  Christ  more  than  the 
Ebionites,  though  the  former  might  be  that  part  of 
the  Jewish  Christians  that  both  Origen  and  Eusebius 
mention     as    holding    the    miraculous    conception. 

Theodoret, who  lived  in  Syria,  speaking  of  the  Naza- 
renes, says,  "  The  Nazarenes  are  Jews  who  honour 
"  Christ  as  a  righteous  man ;  and  who  use  the  Gos- 
"  pel  called  according  to  Peter."* 

Upon  the  whole  from  the  passages  we  have  quoted, 
it  appears,  that  there  is  very  respectable  and  credible 
evidence  to  prove,  that  the  Nazarenes  and  Ebionites 
were  in  the  main  the  same  people  ;  and  that  however 
the  Jewish  Christians  might  differ  among  themselves 
with  respect  to  the  miraculous  conception,  they  were 
unanimous  in  their  belief  of  the  Unity  of  God  in  the 
Person  of  the  Father,  and  in  that  of  the  Messiahship 
and  Proper  Humanity  of  Jesus. 

This  attachment  and  constant  adherence  of  the 
Jewish  Christians  to  Unitarian  Principles  is  a  point  of 
great  importance,  and  affords  a  very  strong  proof  in 
addition  to  other  invincible  proofs,  before  stated,  that 
the  Apostles  must  have  taught  the  Unitarian  Doctrine. 
For  it  must  be  admitted  on  all  hands  as  an  indisputa- 
ble fact,  that  the  first  Christian  Church,  viz.  the 
Church  of  Jerusalem,  was  composed  entirely  of 
Jews.  Now  this  being  the  case,  how  can  it  be  ac- 
counted for  on  any  reasonable  principles,  that  the 

thus  :  sed  duvn  volunt  ct  Judjcl  esse,  et  Chrisliani,  nee  Judx't  sunt>ie<:- 
Christiani.  Hieronymi  Opa a,  Edit.  Victorii.  Lutetive,  1624.  Vol.  i. 
p.  634. 

yxi  toj  y.x'\U[i.:vuj  xzlx  Tltlpoy  tvx'jyr£Atco  y.sy^v;f.vjoi .        'J'ivodl>rt  c    '.flCfuf, 

Edit..  SivmontU.  Hser.  Fol.  Lib.  ii.  Cap.  2.  Vol.  4.  p.  2  19. 


224  THE  FIRST  JEWISH  CHRISTIANS 

whole  body  of  Jewish  Christians  should  have  been 
unanimous  in  rejecting  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  assert- 
ing his  proper  humanity,  on  the  supposition  that  the 
Apostles  had  preached  and  the  first  Converts  at 
Jerusalem  had  believed  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  ? 

The  first  Christian  Converts  must  be  supposed  to 
have  held  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostles,  or  else 
Christianity  was  never  taught  to  any  purpose  at  all. 
And  if  the  Apostles  and  first  Church  at  Jerusalem 
really  believed  the  divinity  of  Christ,  how  came  the 
whole  body  of  Jewish  Christians,  who  received  their 
faith  immediately  from  them  to  reject  it,  and  to 
adopt  the  notion  of  his  proper  humanity  ?  It  was 
more  natural  for  them  rather  to  magnify  the  person 
of  their  Master  than  to  endeavour  in  any  respect  to 
lessen  or  dimmish  it. 

And  yet  it  is  a  certain  fact,  from  the  early 
authentic  accounts  of  Origen  and  Eusebius,  who  had 
the  best  means  of  information,  and  no  motive  to  de- 
ceive by  a  misrepresentation  of  the  state  of  the  case, 
that  the  Jewish  Christians  were  strict  Unitarians,  and 
held  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  proper  humanity.  If 
only  a  few  of  them  had  embraced  these  opinions,  it 
would  not  have  been  so  wonderful ;  but  that  the 
whole  body,  or  a  very  great  majority,  should  have 
done  so,  is  a  fact  that  will  never  correspond  with  the 
Apostles  having  preached  or  the  members  of  the 
first  Christian  Church  at  Jerusalem  having  believed, 
either  the  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  or  Christ's  Pre- 
existence  and  Divinity. 

If  the  great  body  of  Jewish  Christians,  were  Uni- 
tarians in  the  middle  of  the  third  century,  in  the 
time  of  Origen,  it  is  reasonable  to  think  that  they 
must  have  been  so  in  the  second,  and  also  so  in  the 
first  century,  and  in  the  very  time  of  the  Apostles. 
.There  is  no  evidence  to  prove  that  ever  any  alteration 
took  place  in  their  opinion  ;  on  the  contrary,  as  some 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  225' 

of  the  Fathers  supposed  that  the  Apostle  John  had  a 
view  to  the  Ebionites  in  his  Gospel ;  this  notion  (how- 
ever mistaken  these  Fathers  might  be  with  respect  to 
John's  object)  is  a  proof  that  the  Jewish  Christians 
were  believed  to  have  been  in  that  way  of  thinking 
even  in  the  time  of  the  Apostles. 

Here  then,  we  have  a  chain  of  tradition,  strongly 
confirming  our  great  point  that  the  Christian  Church 
was  originally  Unitarian ;  we  have  the  evidence  of 
the  great  body  of  Jewish  Christians,  ascending  in  a 
line  to  the  Apostles  themselves :  and  the  accounts 
given  of  these  Jewish  Christians  by  ancient  ecclesi- 
astical Writers  bears  such  an  affinity  with  what  is  re- 
corded in  the  Acts,  and  particularly  with  the  descrip- 
tion given  of  them  Chap.  xxi.  20  to  23,  that  the  ar- 
gument becomes  peculiarly  strong  and  convincing ; 
and  shows,  that  what  some  have  ventured  to  affirm  of 
a  church  of  Trinitarian  Jews  established  at  Jerusa- 
lem is  a  mere  modern  fabrication,  without  any  foun- 
dation in  ecclesiastical  Antiquity.* 

*  "  The  resemblance  between  the  character  of  the  Ebionites,  as 
"  given  by  the  early  christian  fathers,  and  that  of  the  Jewish  chris- 
"  tians  at  the  time  of  Paul's  last  journey  to  Jerusalem,  is  very 
"  striking-.  After  he  had  given  an  account  of  his  conduct,  to  the  moro 
"  intelligent  of  them,  they  were  satisfied  with  it ;  but  they  thought 
"  there  would  be  great  difficulty  in  satisfying  others.  Thou  seest, 
"  brother,  say  they  to  him,  Acts  xxi.  20.  how  many  thousands  of  Jews 
*'  there  are  who  believe,  and  they  are  all  zealous  of  the  law.  And  they 
"  are  informed  of  thee  that  thou  teachest  all  the  Jews  who  are  among  the 
"  Gentiles,  to  forsake  Moses,  saying,  that  they  ought  not  to  circumcisv 
"  their  children,  neither  to  walk  after  the  customs.  What  is  it  therefore? 
"  The  multitudes  must  needs  come  together,  for  they  will  hear  that  thou  a>  t 
"  come.  Do  therefore  this,  that  we  say  to  thee.  We  have  four  men  that 
"  have  a  vow  on  them.  Them  take  and  purify  thyself  with  them,  and  be 
"  at  charges  with  them,,  that  they  may  shave  their  heads,  and  all  may 
"  know  that  those  things  whereof  they  were  informed  concerning  thee  a,  e 
"  nothing,  but  thai  thou  thyself  also  walkcst  orderly  and  keepest  the  law. 
"  So  great  a  resemblance  in  some  things,  viz.  their  attachment  to  the 
"  law,  and  their  prejudices  against  Paul,  cannot  but  lead  us  to  ima- 
"  gine  that  they  were  the  same  in  other  respects  also,  both  being 
"  equally  observers  of  the  law,  and  equally  strangers  to  the  doctrine 
"  of  the  divinity  of  Christ.     And  in  that  age  all  the  Jews  were  equal- 

G  G 


226  THE  FIRST  GENTILE   CFIRISTIANS 

Having  thus  treated  of  the  Jewish  Unitarian  Chris- 
tians, we  shall  now  add  a  few  observations  on  the 
Gentile  Converts  to  Christianity  ;  and  here  we  have 
very  satisfactory  evidence  to  prove,  that  the  great 
,body  of  them  were  Unitarians  as  well  as  the  Jews. 
The  evidence  arising  from  the  Apostles  Creed  so 
generally  received  in  the  Gentile  Churches,  and  also 
from  the  testimonies  of  Athanasius,  Justin  Martyr, 
and  Tertullian,  before  quoted  and  commented  upon, 
is  invincibly  strong  to  this  purpose.  It  is  apparent 
from  these  authorities,  that  the  Unitarians  were  a 
very  numerous  body  in  the  Gentile  Churches,  inso- 
much that  they  were  styled  by  Tertullian,  the  major 
pars  credentium,  that  is,  "  the  greater  part  of  be- 
lievers," and  their  opponents  were  obliged  to  make 
elaborate  Apologies  to  them,  which  were  by  no 
means  satisfactory. 

Besides  this  clear,  direct,  and  positive  proof,  on 
which,  after  the  Scriptural  Testimonies,  we  chiefly 
rest  the  cause,  the  prevalence  of  Unitarianism  in 
the  early  Gentile  Churches  may  be  inferred  from 
two  considerations. 

1.  From  the  Unitarians  having  no  particular  name 
assigned  them,  and  their  worshipping  in  the  public 
churches  or  congregations  styled  Catholic  or  Univer- 
sal. ,Had  the  Unitarians  been  only  a  small  body, 
and  considered  as  innovators,  their  adversaries  would 
have  soon  characterized  them  by  a  name,  or  perhaps 
expelled  them  from  the  public  Assemblies.     This 

*«  Ty  zealous  for  the  great  doctrine  of  the  unity  of  God,  and  their  pecu- 
"  liar  customs.  Can  ;t  be  supposed  then  that  they  would  so  obstinately 
'•  retain  the  one,  and  so  readily  abandon  the  other  ?" 

"  These  considerations  (and  much  more  might  be  added  to  enforce 
"  them)  certainly  affect,  the  credibility  of  Christ  having-  any  nature  su- 
"  perior  to  that  of  man  ;  and  when  they  are  sufficieiuly  attended  to 
"  (as  I  suspect  they  never  have  been)  must  shake  the  Arian  hypoth?- 
"  sis ;  but  they  must  be  particularly  embarrassing'  to  those  who, 
"  like  you,  maintain  the  perfect  equality  of  the  Son  to  the  Father.'* 
^Iiestley's  Letters  to  Horsley>  Parti,  p.  62,  63.  Birmingham,  1783- 


HELD  THE   UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  22T 

however  was  not  the  case.  The  Unitarians  had  no 
particular  name  given  them  for  a  long  time,  and  so 
far  were  they  from  being  expelled  from  the  public 
congregations  as  heretics,  that  the  Platonizing 
Fathers  found  themselves  considered  as  innovators, 
and  could  not  make  a  satisfactory  defence  of  their 
novel  Theology  to  therm 

2.  Another  proof  of  the  great  prevalence  and 
Apostolical  Origin  of  Unitarianism  in  the  Gentile 
Churches,  is,  that  this  doctrine  appears  to  have  taken 
a  Jinn  hold  of  the  minds  of  the  unlearned,  or  of 
people  in  the  middle  or  lower  ranks  of  life.  Now 
(as  it  has  been  justly  remarked  by  a  late  writer)  if 
we  trace  the  progress  of  religious  opinion,  we  shall 
find,  that  changes  and  innovations  of  every  kind 
take  place  at  first  among  the  learned  and  speculative, 
and  that  it  requires  a  considerable  space  of  time  be- 
fore they  can  make  any  permanent  impression  upon 
the  people  at  large.  I  would  therefore  ask  any  An^ 
telligent  person,  how  it  can  be  accounted  for,  that 
the  greater  part  of  believers  should  have  been  Unita- 
rians in  the  time  of  Tertullian,  that  is  about  the  encf 
of  the  second  century,  while  their  professed  teach- 
ers were  of  a  different  opinion.  Nothing  but  an 
Apostolical  tradition  in  favour  of  Unitarianism  can 
account  for  this  surprising  fact.  The  oldest  opinions 
are  always  found  among  the  great  mass  or  body  of 
the  people,  and  speculations  of  every  kind  begin 
with  the  learned.  This  may  be  admitted  as  a  general 
maxim  with  hardly  an  exception,  though  not  in  many 
cases  a  test  of  truth*  as  it  certainly  was  in  the  present 
case. 

But  independent  of  these  considerations,  we  find 
a  remarkable  fact  recorded  by  Eusebius,  or  rather 
by  a  more  ancient  author  quoted  by  him,  viz.  that 
these  ancient,  Gentile  Unitarian  Christians  maintain- 
ed, that  the   doctrine  of  Christ's  proper  humanity 


22S  THE  FIRST  GENTILE  CHRISTIANS 

was  the  ancient  doctrine  of  the  Church,  handed 
down  to  them  from  their  ancestors,  and  that  the 
Trinitarians  had  altered  and  corrupted  this  genuine, 
ancient  doctrine.  I  shall  here  quote  the  passage  as 
it  occurs  in  Eusebius. 

"  In  an  accurate  Treatise  of  one  of  these  (authors) 
"  composed  against  the  heresy  of  Artemon,  which 
"  Paul  bishop  of  Samosata  attempted  to  renew 
"  in  our  times,  there  is  found  a  certain  narration 
"  very  suitable  to  the  subject  of  our  present  inqui- 
"  ries.  For  (that  author)  in  proving  that  manifest- 
*'  ed  heresy  to  have  taken  its  rise  not  long  before, 
"  whereas  its  leaders  wish  to  render  it  venerable  as 
"  if  ancient ;  after  many  other  things  alledged  against 
".  their  blasphemous  falsehood, proceeds  inthese  words. 
"  For  they  say,  that  all  the  ancients  and  the  Apos- 
"  ties  themselves  received  and  taught  these  (Doc- 
"  trines)  which  now  they  teach,  and  that  the  truth 
"  of  the  public  declaration  (that  is,  the  purity  of  the 
"  Apostolical  Doctrine)  was  preserved  until  the  time 
"  of  Victor,  who  was  the  thirteenth  bishop  of  Rome 
"  from  Peter :  but  that  the  truth  was  corrupted  in 
"  the  time  of  Zephyrinus  his  successor.  Perhaps, 
"  this  assertion  might  appear  credible,  if  in  the  first 
**  place  the  divine  Scriptures  were  not  opposed  to 
"  them :  and  there  are  (besides)  writings  of  some 
"  of  our  brethren  older  than  the  time  of  Victor, 
"  which  they  composed  in  defence  of  the  truth 
"  against  the  heathens,  and  against  the  heresies  then 
Li  existing.  I  speak  of  those  of  Justin,  Miltiades, 
65  Tatian,  Clemens  (Alexandrinus),  and  many  others, 
"  in  all  which  divinity  is  ascribed  to  Christ.  For 
"  who  is  ignorant  of  the  books  of  Irenaus,  Melito, 
"  and  others,  declaring  Christ  both  God  and  Man. 
"  But  how  many  psalms  and  hymns  of  the  brethren, 
"  committed  to  writing  by  the  faithful  from  the  be- 
<c  ginning,  extol    Christ  as  the  Word  of  God,  as- 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  229 

ci  cribing  divinity  to  him.  When  therefore  the  doc- 
<£  trine  of  the  Church  has  been  declared  for  so  many 
"  years,  how  can  it  be  admitted,  that  the  doctrine 
"  which  they  profess  should  have  been  publicly 
"  taught  till  the  time  of  Victor.  How  are  they  not 
'«  ashamed  to  frame  these  falsehoods  against  Victor, 
"  knowing  perfectly  that  Victor  excluded  from  the 
"  Communion  Theodotus  the  Tanner,  the  leader  and 
*e  parent  of  this  God-denying  Apostacy,  who  first 
"  said  that  Christ  was  a  mere  man.  For  if,  accord- 
"  ing  to  them,  Victor  so  thought  as  their  blasphemy 
"  teaches,  why  did  he  expel  Theodotus  the  inventor 
*«  of  this  heresy  ?"* 

The  author  quoted  here  by  Eusebius  is  said  by 
some  to  have  been  Caius,  who  lived  about  the  year 

*  Tovruv  ev  rnos  <TtsovHxa-\xxri  xxrx  rns  Agre/xuvos  xigecreus  'nezjovyxs- 
V4),  yv  avSis  o  ex  2xiA.oa-a.ruv  YlavXos,  xx§  ri/xxs  avaveua-aa^xi  zsemHgxrxS 
tyegerxi  ris  ^mynais  rxis  e^erx^o/xevxts  y/xtv  zypoayxovcrx  i^opixis.  T/iv  yxp 
rot  HeHriXufxevnv  xipeaiv  -^iXov  avS^ozjov  ytveo-Sxt  rov  aukgx  (pxaxncxv  a  tsgo 
•jjoXAoy  vsuleptaSeto-av  <$iev$vvuv.  YioXXx  xai  aXXx  ens  eXey^pv  xvluv  rns 
^Xxa^r^xov  -^ei^yyopias  GjagaSus  o  Xoyos,  ravla  xxlx  Xe%tv  i^opn.  $xo-t 
yxq  ras  fxev  -zypolegus  xzyxylxs  xxi  xvlxs  rovs  xnto^oXas  z^xgeiXvifpevxi  re  xai 
He^wx^evai  rxvrx,  x  vvv  ovroi  Xeynai'  xai  relypya-Sxt  r-nv  xXyS&xv  rov 
xfigvyfxxlos  ^-£%f  Taw  Bixhpos  %povuv,  os  r,v  rgio-x.aioex.oao?  xzjo  TIelgov  ev 
Pu/xri  eTriaxozj©"  Azjo  oe  rov  oixooy^a  xvlu  Zs(pi'p<vs.  'axgxxe^rxgxy^Sai 
r"nv  aXr,§&xv.  Hv  §'  xv  rvypv  zyiQxvov  ro  Xeyo/xevov,  h  fxn  npulov  fxev  xvlevtTT- 
lov  xt  Seixi  ygatfiai'  y.ai  x^eXtpujv  oe  rivuv  eft  ypx/x/xxlx  zypeaQvlegx  ruv 
Bixhgoi  %govuv,  x  exuvoi  zygos  rx  eSvn  vz7ep  rns  aXriSetas,  x^  Trpos  rxs  role 
xigeaets  eyga-^/Xv.  Aeyu  oe  lovftvx  xxi  MiXrtaoov  xxi  Txrixvov  xxi  KArj- 
fxevhs  xai  elepuv  mXenovuv  ev  ois  atzxat  SeoXoyeilxt  o  Xfis-(sk.  Tx  yxg  Eipr)- 
yxtts  re  x)  MeXtluvos  xxi  ruv  Xoinuv  rn  xyvoet  fiiQXtx,  Qeov  xai  av^wTOy 
xxrxiyeX.Xovlx  rov  Xf  /5-ov  ;  -\xX(xoi  He  ocrot  x^  ul)xi  x^sXfyuv  amapyyis  vno 
T3i<?wi>  ygxfyeicrxi,  rov  Xoyov  ra  Qea  rov  Xgi^ov  vixvuat  SeoXoyuvles"  zrus  ovy 
ex  roaaruv  eruv  xxrxfyeXXo/xeva  rov  exxXvitrix^ixov  (pgovv/xxros-,  tvoe^erxt 
rots  A^X?'  Btxlopos  ovrus  us  ovrot  Xeyovrrt  xexegvyevxt ',  zjus  oe  ovx  atoovvtxt 
rxvrx  Bixlogos  xxrx-^evoeaOxi .  xxptQws  aoules,  or>  Bixlup  rov  axevlex  Qeo' 
oolov  rov  xgyrriyov  x^  zsxlegx  rxvlr,;  rvis  x^vno'^ea  amofxaixs^  xtcexrigv^e  r/is 
xoivuvtxSi  zigurov  efnovia  -^tXov  xvu^ottov  rov  Xgi^ov',  e-t  yag  Bixlup  xai 
a'Slas  anus  etpgovet  us  r>  raruv  oioxuxet  ^iKaa^if]iMXi  tsus  xv  xirekaXXe  Qiooo- 
lov  rov  r-rts  aipeaius  rxv%s  evoer-nv.     Eusebii  Ecclcs.  Historia.    Edit. 

\"uicsii.  Parisiis.  1659.  Lib.  V.  Cap.  28.  p.  195,  196. 


230  THE  FIRST  GENTILE  CHRISTIANS 

210,  and  wrote  a  piece  called  The  Little  Labyrinth. 
He  abounds  in  declamation  and  opprobrious  epithets, 
in  which  he  has  been  imitated  by  some  writers  in  later 
-times ;  but  to  these  as  they  carry  no  conviction  along 
with  them,  we  shall  pay  no  regard.  He  stumbles  at 
the  very  threshold,  and  appeals  to  the  Scriptures  as 
being  on  his  side,  which  the  Unitarians  alone  have  a 
proper  claim  to.  The  Arguments  he  alledges  against 
the  claims  of  the  ancient  Unitarians  to  Antiquity, 
and  having  the  original  doctrine  of  the  church  on 
their  side,  are  weak  and  insufficient.  The  oldest  of 
his  authorities  is  Justin  Martyr  who  was  a  P/atonist, 
and  corrupted  the  evangelical  doctrine  by  an  infusion 
of  heathen  philosophy;  and  who  proposed  his  new 
system,  with  such  a  degree  of  hesitation,  as  gives 
ground  to  think  that  the  majority  of  Christians  in  his 
time  were  against  him,  and  that  he  had  even  some 
distrust  of  it  himself.  All  the  other  writers  men- 
tioned by  him  followed  the  track  of  Justin,  and  de- 
based the  original  simplicity  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 
The  psalms  and  hymns  he  mentions  were  probably 
spurious  compositions,  and  from  the  account  he  gives 
of  them  must  have  been  very  different  from  those 
noble  models  of  devotional  composition  left  us  by 
David,  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel,  and  other  sacred 
poets ;  in  which  the  majesty  and  glory  of  JEHOVAH, 
the  only  true  God',  are  extolled  and  celebrated ;  and 
the  Messiah,  when  prophetically  mentioned,  is  repre- 
sented as  a  man  upheld  and  supported  by  him  alone^ 
It  is  not  improbable  but  that  these  Hymns  might  be 
the  very  same  ones,  which  Paul  the  Unitarian  bishop 
of  Samosata  laid  aside  on  account  of  their  novelty. 

There  is  one  glaring  falsehood  asserted  in  this 
quotation,  which  is  contradicted  by  the  evidence  of 
all  Antiquity,  and  even  by  that  of  the  Ecclesiastical 
History  of  Eusebius  himself,  viz.  that  Theodotus  the 
Tanner,  "  was  the  first  who  said  that  Christ  was  a 


HELD  THE  UNITARIAN  DOCTRINE.  231 

mere  man,"  or  in  other  words,  "  a  real  and  true 
man."  What  has  been  before  said  in  this  Disserta- 
tion, and  in  the  two  preceding  ones,  furnishes  a  suffi- 
cient confutation  of  this  assertion. 

The  circumstance  of  Theodotus  having  been  ex- 
pelled from  the  Communion  by  Victor,  and  the  cause 
assigned  for  it,  do  not  appear  to  be  well  authenti- 
cated. Praxeas  who  professed  Unitarian  principles 
is  said  afterwards  to  have  come  to  Rome,  and  to  have 
been  kindly  received  by  Victor :  it  is  therefore  pro- 
bable that  there  must  have  been  some  other  reason 
for  this  excommunication,  if  it  really  took  place  at 
all. 

When  all  these  circumstances  are  seriously  consi- 
dered, and  allowed  their  due  weight,  joined  with  the 
clear  proofs  and  powerful  arguments  before  produ- 
ced ;  the  claim  of  these  ancient  Gentile  Unitarian 
Christians  to  the  honourable  character  of  being  the 
genuine  successors  of  the  Apostles  and  the  preservers 
of  the  purity  of  their  Doctrine,  must  be  allowed  to 
be  just ;  and  their  assertion,  that  the  Apostles  them- 
selves and  all  the  ancients  taught  the  same  Doctrine, 
will  appear  exceedingly  credible. 

Now  unto  God  and  our  Father  be  glory  for  ever 
*nd  ever.     Amen,     Phil.  iv.  20. 


DISSERTATION  XVI. 


A  BRIEF  VIEW  OF  THE  RISE,  PROGRESS. 
AND  ESTABLISHMENT      * 


PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  TRINITY 


aVith  previous  remarks  on  the  propensity  ok 
mankind  to  idolatry. 


1   TIMOTHY  II,  5. 

For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus, 

jLl  AVING  in  three  preceding  Dissertations  produced 
clear  and  satisfactory  evidence  to  prove,  that  the  first 
Christian  Churches,  both  Jewish  and  Gentile,  were 
Unitarian :  or  held  the  Doctrine  of  the  strict,  per- 
sonal Unity  of  JEHOVAH,  the  heavenly  Father  and 
'the  only  true  God ;  and  also  that  of  the  Messiahs  hip 
and  Proper  Humanity  of  Jesus  ;  we  now  proceed  in 
order  to  complete  the  last  part  of  our  plan  to  show 
by  what  steps  and  degrees  the  present  Doctrines  of 


THE  PROPENSITY  OF  MANKIND  TO  IDOLATRY.  233 

the  Divinity  and  Pre-existence  of  Christ,  and  the 
Trinity,  took  their  rise,  and  gained  an  ascendency 
over  that  pure  seed  of  the  word  of  God,  first  planted 
and  watered  by  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles,  and  seal- 
ed with  their  blood,  and  that  of  other  Martyrs  and 
Confessors. 

It  may  seem  wonderful  that  the  true  doctrine  of 
the  Gospel  should  so  soon  give  way,  and  be  corrupt- 
ed by  the  inventions  of  men  :  but  this  is  no  more 
than  what  has  taken  place  in  all  ages ;  by  the  fraud, 
cunning,  and  evil  designs  of  some ;  and  by  the 
weakness,  ignorance,  caprice,  and  instability  of 
others. 

The  true  God  revealed  himself  to  the  first  ances- 
tors of  mankind,  but  they  soon  fell  off*  from  their 
allegiance  to  their  Maker,  and  in  the  course  of  some 
generations  the  world  became  so  corrupted  and  de- 
praved, that  it  was  found  necessary  to  destroy  the 
whole  species  by  a  flood. 

After  the  deluge  the  Divine  Being  revealed  him- 
self to  Noah  and  his  Family  ;  and  yet  in  a  short  time 
afterwards  Idolatry  became  so  prevalent,  that  the 
pure  and  unadulterated  worship  of  the  true  God  was 
almost  confined  to  a  single  family :  the  rest  of  the 
world  being  more  or  less  affected  with  Idol-worship. 

At  last,  it  pleased  Almighty  God,  in  order  to  pre- 
serve some  remains  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion, 
to  select  one  nation  from  the  rest  of  mankind ; — to 
proclaim  himself  to  them,  and  vindicate  his  sove- 
reign authority  by  a  series  of  the  most  extraordinary 
miracles  ; — to  give  them  a  plain  written  law,  deliver- 
ed in  an  illustrious  and  conspicuous  manner,  and 
guarded  by  the  most  awful  sanctions  of  rewards  and 
punishments  ;  and  yet  notwithstanding,  this  highly 
favoured  nation  continued  but  a  short  time  after  they 
were  peaceably  settled  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  in  the 

Hh 


234  iaE-  RI&B'  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

worship  and  service  of  JEHOVAH :  for  no  sooner 
were  that  generation  removed,  who  had  seen  all  the 
great  works  of  the  LORD,  that  he  did  for  Israel, 
than  their  posterity  began  to  imitate  the  idolatrous 
practices  of  the  surrounding  nations. 

We  have  a  very  natural  and  affecting  description 
of  this  sad  change  given  us  in  the  book  of  Judges, 
Chap.  ii.  7,  8, — ]0  to  13.  And  when  Joshua  had 
let  the  people  go,  the  children  of  Israel  went  every  man 
unto  his  inheritance  to  possess  the  land.  And  the  peo- 
ple served  the  LORD  all  tfa  days  of  Joshua,  and  all 
the  days  of  the  elders  that  outlived  Joshua,  who  had 
seen  all  the  great  works  of  the  LORD,  that  he  did 
for  Israel.  And  Joshua  the  son  of  Nun,  the  servant 
of  the  LORD,  died,  being  an  hundred  and  ten  years 

old. And  also  all  that  generation  were  gathered 

unto  their  fathers  :  and  there  arose  another  generation 
after  them,  which  knew  not  the  LORD,  nor  yet  the 
works  which  he  had  done  for  Israel.  And  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  LORD,  and 
served  Baalim:  And  they  forsook  the  LORD  Cod 
of  their  fathers,  which  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  and  followed  other  Gods,  of  the  Gods  of  the 
people  that  were  round  about  them,  and  bowed  them- 
selves unto  them,  and  provoked  the  LORD  to  anger. 
And  they  forsook  the  LORD,  and  served  Baal  and 
Ashtaroth. 

Now,  the  very  same  change  seems  to  have  taken 
place  in  the  Christian  Church,  as  is  here  described 
to  have  done  among  the  Jews.  While  the  Apos- 
tles lived,  and  those  Apostolical  men  who  had  seen 
them,  and  conversed  with  them,  the  Christian 
Church  remained  pure  and  uncorrupted  :  but  after 
these  good  men  were  removed  by  natural  death,  or 
martyrdom,  a  succession  of  Platonizing  Teachers 
followed,  who  being  lately  converted  from  Paganism 
to  Christianity,  and  exchanging  the  school  of  Plato 


OK  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OE  THE  TRINITY.  235 

for  that  of  Jesus,  brought  along  with  them  Tarts*  and 
mingled  them  with  the  genuine  Wheat.  By  this  means, 
the  gold  became  dim  and  the  most  fine  gold  was 
changed.^ 

These  Platonizing  Teachers  became  ashamed  of 
the  plain  Gospel  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  ap- 
proved of  God  by  miracles,  and  wonders,  and  signs, 
which  God  did  by  hi?n  ;\  who  was  crucified,  and 
raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father.  [| 
They  wished  to  have  something  elevated  and  sub- 
lime, profound  and  mysterious  in  religion :  some- 
thing that  smelt  of  Philosophy  and  would  coalesce  with 
the  system  of  Plato  and  other  heathen  Writers. 

So  far  as  we  are  able  to  trace  it,  the  first  rise  of 
the  great  Corruption  of  Christianity  took  place  among 
the  Gnostics,  a  sect  which  separated  very  early  from 
the  great  body  of  Christians,  and  blended  many 
false  notions  with  that  part  of  Christianity  which 
they  thought  fit  to  retain.  These  men  found  fault 
with  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  as  taught  by  the 
Apostles,  as  being  inconsistent  with  their  philosophi- 
cal System,  of  the  impurity  of  matter ;  and  from  an 
eager  desire  to  exalt  the  person  and  character  of 
Christ,  and  to  raise  him  above  the  capacity  of  a  man 
subject  to  sufferings  and  death,  they  asserted  that  he 
was  a  man  in  appearance  only  ;  but  in  reality  a  being 
of  a  much  more  noble  and  excellent  nature,  viz.  a 
distinguished  celestial  emanation,  or  superangelic 
Spirit. 

The  Apostle  John  is  supposed  to  have  written 
against  these  early  corrupters  of  our  religion  in  the 
following  verses. 

1  John  iv.  1,  2,  3.  Beloved,  believe  not  every  spi- 
rit, but  try  the  spirits  whether  they  are  of  God :  be- 
cause many  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into  the  world. 
Hereby  knew  ye  the  Spirit  of  God :  every  spirit  that 

*  Math.  xiii.  25.    \  Lam.  Iv.  1.     i  Actsrfc  22.     ||  Rom.  vT.  4. 


0«(j  THE  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

confesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  is  of 
God.  And  every  spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh,  is  not  of  God :  and  this  is 
that  spirit  of  antichrist,  whereof  you  have  heard  that 
it  should  come,  and  even  now  already  is  it  in  the 
world. 

It  is  clear,  that  there  is  an  allusion  in  these  words 
of  John  to  some  false  teachers  in  his  own  time ;  and 
it  is  also  clear  from  them  that  their  error  lay  with 
respect  to  the  person  of  Christ,  in  supposing  him 
not  to  have  come  in  the  flesh,  or  "  not  to  have  been 
really  a  man.'"  The  Apostle  John  calls  such  a  doc- 
trine Antichristian,  and  gives  us  a  test  whereby,  in 
this  respect,  to  distinguish  true  from  false  doctrine. 
Those  (says  he)  who  teach  that  Jesus  Christ,  (or 
Jesus  the  anointed)  is  co?ne  in  the  flesh,  or  "  appear- 
ed as  a  real  and  true  man,  in  opposition  to  a  phan- 
tom or  a  man  in  appearance  only,'*  are  of  God  ;  and 
th'  se  who  teach  otherwise,  are  not  of  God  ;  and  con- 
sequently are  false  and  erroneous  teachers. 

From  this  passage,  it  is  evident,  that  one  of  the 
earliest  errors  that  ever  appeared  in  the  Christian 
church  was  that  of  supposing  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
not  to  have  been  truly  a  man. 

Polycarp,  who  is  said  to  have  been  a  disciple  of  the 
Apostle  John,  has  a  beautiful  passage  descriptive  of 
the  true  character  and  dignity  of  Christ,  and  the 
purity  of  manners  which  ought  to  be  preserved  by 
his  followers ;  after  which  he  passes  a  severe  cen- 
sure upon  this  erroneous  doctrine  held  by  the  Gnos- 
tics. 

"  Believe  therefore  in  him"  (viz.  in  the  Father) 
"  who  raised  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead, 
"  and  gave  him  glory  and  a  seat  at  his  own  right 
"  hand ;  to  whom  all  things  are  made  subject  in 
"heaven,  in  earth,  and  under  the  earth;  whom 
"  every  spirit  serves ;  who  will  come  to  judge  the 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  TRINITY.  237 

"  living  and  the  dead  ;  whose  blood  God  will  re- 
"  quire  from  those  who  have  not  believed  in  him, 
"  who  both  raised  him  from  the  dead,  and  will  raise 
"  us  to  life,  if  we  shall  have  done  his  will,  and  shall 
"  have  walked  in  his  commandments,  and  shall  have 
"  loved  what  he  himself  loved ;  abstaining  from  all 
"  unrighteousness ;  that  is  from  concupiscence,  from 
"  covetousness,  from  detraction,  from  false  witness, 
"  not  rendering  evil  for  evil,  nor  injury  for  injury,  nor 
"  slander  for  slander.  Whosoever  does  not  confess 
"  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh,  he  is  Anti- 
"  christ ;  and  whosoever  does  not  confess  his  mar- 
"  tyrdom  upon  the  cross  is  from  the  devil ;  and  who- 
"  soever  shall  have  perverted  the  words  of  the  Lord 
"  to  his  own  desires,  and  shall  have  said,  there  is  no 
"  resurrection  nor  judgment,  is  the  first  born  of 
"  Satan." 

Ignatius^  another  early  Writer,  though  in  some 
places  very  much  interpolated,  has  one  passage  re- 
lating to  the  G?iostics,  which  has  truly  a  primitive 
appearance,  and  ma\  be  supposed  to  be  genuine. 

"  Stop  your  ears  therefore,  as  often  as  any  one 
"  shall  speak  contrary  to  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  race 
"  of  David,  by  the  Virgin  Mary.  Who  was  truly 
"  born,  did  eat  and  drink ;  was  truly  persecuted  un- 
"  der  Pontius  Pilate,  was   also   truly  crucified  and 

"  dead  : Who  was  truly  raised  from  the  dead 

"  by  his  Father,  after  the  same  manner  as  he  (the 
"  Father)  will  also  raise  up  us  who  believe  in  him, 
"  by  Christ  Jesus :  without  whom  we  have  no  true 
«  life." 

Here  then  we  have  sufficiently  explained  to  us  by 
Apostolical  and  other  authorities,  how  soon  the  spirit 
of  Antichrist  began  to  work  in  the  Christian  Church, 
even  before  the  expiration  of  the  first  century,  in 
the  time  of  the  Apostle  John,  who  lived  longer  than 
any  of  the  other  Apostles. 


'238  KHE  MSB,  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

This  error,  in  consequence  of  the  severe  censure  it 
met  with  from  the  Apostle  John  and  other  eariy 
Christian  Writers,  began  to  cease  within  the  Church 
itself,  and  to  be  confined  to  the  Gnostics,  who  were 
in  a  state  of  separation  from  it. 

But  as  error  is  ever  restless  and  insinuating  and 
assumes  various  forms  and  shapes,  a  notion  seeming- 
ly different  from  this,  but  which  may  be  traced  to 
the  same  source  was  soon  after  invented,  which  was 
far  more  plausible  and  dangerous;  and  unhappily 
increased  and  prevailed  at  last  to  the  depravation  of 
pure  and  genuine  Christianity. 

This  was  the  personification  of  the  Logos  or  Word, 
(the  Divine  Reason  or  Wisdom)  used  by  the  Apostle 
John  in  the  beginning  of  his  Gospel. 

The  ancient  Unitarians  found  no  difficulty  in  ex- 
plaining the  Logos  or  Word,  as  used  by  John,  in  a 
perfect  consistency  with  the  Unity  of  God.  From 
what  Marcellus  the  Unitarian  bishop  of  Ancyra  and 
others  said  about  it,  in  such  fragments  of  their 
writings  as  have  come  down  to  us,  it  appears,  that 
they  explained  it  entirely  of  the  wisdom  or  -power  of 
God  the  Father  communicated  to  and  acting  by  the 
man  Christ  Jesus, 

But  the  philosophizing  teachers  that  had  now 
crept  into  the  Christian  Church,  and  were  refining 
and  improving  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  accord- 
ing to  their  own  fanciful  Ideas,  began  to  frame  other 
notions  of  the  Logos  than  that  of  a  mere  attribute, 
power,  or  quality  in  God  the  Father. 

Some  of  them  held  it  to  be  a  principle  or  power 
occasionally  emitted  or  sent  forth,  which  for  the  time 
it  acted  was  a  real  person  or  agent,  and  afterwards 
when  its  action  ceased,  its  personality  ceased  also,  and 
it  was  drawn  back  again  or  resumed  into  the  essence 
oi  the  Divine  Being. 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OK  THE  TRINITY.  239 

This  appears  to  have  been  the  first  departure  from 
the  simple  notion  of  the  divine  Unity.  Justin 
Martyr  mentions  it  as  held  by  some  in  his  time, 
though  he  did  not  adopt  it  himself.*  And  perhaps, 
while  the  notion  of  the  Logos  remained  in  this  form, 
it  might  not  give  any  great  alarm  to  the  great  body 
of  the  Christian  Church,  who  were  then  Unitarians. 
If  they  understood  the  notion  at  all,  they  might  con- 
sider it  as  a  harmless  fancy,  not  any  way  affecting 
the  proper  Unity  of  God. 

But  it  is  necessary  to  guard  against  the  first  ap- 
proaches of  error,  as  it  gains  ground  and  steals  on 
by  various  deceiving  shows  and  appearances.  For 
this  notion  of  a  variable  Logos  or  Word  settled  in 
the  firm  belief  of  the  permanent  stability  of  the 
Logos,  or  of  a  divine  person  produced  or  begotten  by 
the  Father,  by  whose  instrumentality  the  world  and 
all  creatures  were  framed,  who  represented  the  invi- 
sible Jehovah  or  heavenly  Father  on  various  occa- 
sions under  the  Patriarchal  and  Mosaic  Dispensa- 
tions ;  and  was  afterwards  incarnate  in  Jesus  Christ. 

Justin  Martyr  is  justly  supposed  to  have  been  one 
of  the  earliest  who  adopted  this  notion,  and  unhap- 
pily for  the  Truth  it  became  soon  very  prevalent 
among  many  Christian  Teachers.  Justin  before  his 
conversion  had  been  a  Philosopher,  and  had  changed 
and  shifted  various  systems  and  sects  in  his  research- 
es after  truth,  and  had  at  last  attached  himself  to 
that  of  the  Platonists  as  affording  him  more  satisfac- 
tion than  any  of  the  rest.f  Coming  from  the  school 
of  Plato  to  that  of  Jesus,  he  appears  to  have  brought 
along  with  him  a  strong  attachment  to  the  tenets  of 
his  former  master,  and  to  have  wished  to  accommo- 
date the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel  to  the  notions  of 
the  Platonists* 

*  yustini  Martyris  Opera   Lut.  Par.  1615.  p.  358. 

t Opera.  Lut.  Par.  1615.  p.  218,  and  219. 


240  THE  RISE>  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

Plato,  or  more  properly,  the  later  Platonists,  ac- 
cording to  some  representations  which  they  give  of 
their  opinions,  held  a  Trinity  of  divine  Principles,  of 
which  the  first  was  the  Supreme  God,  (T9  *y«0ov)  or  the 
Good,  the  second  an  intellectual  conception  or  image 
of  him,  called  the  Logos  or  Nous,  and  the  third 
the  world  or  the  soul  of  the  world.  Agreeably  to 
these  Platonic  Ideas,  Justin  appears  to  have  been 
willing  to  frame  the  Scripture  doctrine  of  the  Father, 
Son,  and  holy  Spirit,  though  signifying  quite  another 
thing  than  what  his  erroneous  conceptions  led  him  to 
imagine.*  Accordingly,  Justin  supposed  the  Logos, 
or  Word  of  John,  to  be  another  divine  person  pro- 
duced or  begotten  by  the  Father,  and  distinct  from 
him,  but  of  secondary  and  subordinate  dignity  ;  who 
acted  under  the  Father,  and  represented  him.  as  be- 
forementioned.  Justin  has  taught  and  inculcated 
this  notion  in  his  writings,  endeavouring  to  accom- 
modate many  passages  of  the  Old  lestament  to  it. 
But  his  pretended  proofs  are  weak  and  insufficient, 
and  only  discover  his  ignorance  of  the  hebrew  phra- 
seology or  forms  of  speaking.  From  the  tenor  of 
some  passages  in  his  Dialogue  with  Trypho  the  Jew, 
he  appears  to  have  thought  himself  inspired,  and 
that  he  was  guided  by  divine  communications  to  his 
method  of  interpreting  the  sacred  writings  of  the 
Old  Testament.!  And  from  other  passages  in  his 
works,  one  would  be  apt  to  imagine,  that  he  was 
partly  led  into  this  way  of  thinking  from  a  desire  to 
avoid  the  shame  of  the  cross,  and  to  make  the  Chris- 
tian religion  appear  more  respectable  in  the  eyes  of 
heathens.} 

*  The  writings  of  Philo  a  Platonizing  Jew  of  Alexandria,  who  lived 
about  a  Century  before  the  time  of  Justin  and  was  greatly  admired  by 
the  Fathers,  might  have  a  tendency  to  mislead  -Justin,  and  ether 
Christian  Teachers,  fully  as  much  as,  if  not  more  than,  the  heathea 
Platonists. 

\  Opera.  Lut.  Par.  1615.  p.  280,  326,  and  elsewhere. 

<   Apologia  II,  Opera.  Lut.  Par.  1615.  p.  60,  61,  and  67,  68 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  TRINITY.  241 

Happy  would  it  have  been  for  the  Christian  world 
if  this  error  had  remained  with  Justin  Martyr ;  but 
it  was  adopted  and  closely  imitated  by  Irenteus,  Ter- 
tullian,  Origen,  Eusebius,  and  other  early  writers  ; 
and  though  it  could  not  extinguish  the  ancient  doc- 
trine at  first,  yet  it  greatly  impeded  its  progress. 

These  Platonizing  Fathers  who  brought  in  the  no- 
tion of  a  second  God  subordinate  to  the  Father,  and 
of  a  Divinity  residing  in  three  persons,  found  great 
difficulty  in  reconciling  their  new  doctrines  to  the 
great  body  of  the  people,  who  retained  the  ancient 
Unitarian  doctrine  delivered  in  the  Apostles  Creed, 
long  after  many  of  their  Teachers  had  deserted  it. 
This  appears  sufficiently  obvious  from  the  passages 
we  have  quoted  in  former  Dissertations  ;  wherein  we 
find  some  of  them  making  laboured  Apologies  on 
this  subject,  and  complaining  much  of  the  opposi- 
tion that  was  made  to  their  doctrines. 

But  notwithstanding  that  the  Truth  was  considera- 
bly corrupted  during  this  period,  yet  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  as  then  taught  was  very  different  from 
what  it  is  now,  and  did  not  imply  the  same  degree 
either  of  contradiction,  or  else  of  barefaced  Poly- 
theism. Though  Divinity  was  supposed  to  reside  in 
three  persons,  yet  a  subordination  and  inferiority  re- 
specting the  Son  and  Spirit  was  carefully  maintained, 
and  that  not  in  name  and  order  merely,  but  in  dig- 
nity, authority  and  power ;  and  the  Father  was  de- 
clared only  to  be  ««m>&<«  arid  xymiki,  >Q0d  self-existent 
and  unbegotten.  Even  Tertullian,  zealous  as  he  was 
for  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  as  it  then  stood,  de- 
clares as  follows. 

"  Because  God  is  a  father  and  God  is  also 

"  a  judge ;  he  is  not  however,  therefore,  always  a 
"  father  and  a  judge,  because  he  is  always  God. 
"  For  he  could  neither  be  a  father  before  the  son. 

I    T 


242  THE  KISE'  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

"  nor  a  judge  before  sin.  But  there  was  a  time  when 
"  both  sin  and  the  son  was  not,  which"  (sin  having 
taken  place)  "  made  the  Lord  a  judge,  and  who" 
(the  son  having  been  produced)  "  made  him  a 
"  father."* 

Origen  also  and  Eusebius  have  some  passages  in 
their  writings  which  manifest  the  inferiority  of  the 
Son  to  the  Father,  and  that  of  the  holy  Spirit  to 
both  the  Father  and  the  Son.  In  this  manner  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  stood  till  about  the  time  of 
the  Council  of  Nice. 

What  gave  occasion  to  the  meeting  of  this  Council 
was  a  Controversy  that  took  place  between  Alexan- 
der the  Bishop  of  Alexandria  and  Arius  a  Presbyter 
in  the  same  Church.  Arius  contended  that  the  Son 
was  a  creature  made  out  of  nothing  before  the  cre- 
ation of  the  world,  capable  of  Virtue  and  Vice,  and 
that  there  was  a  time  when  he  was  not.  Alexander 
affirmed,  on  the  other  hand  in  opposition  to  Arius, 
that  the  Son  was  no  Creature  but  that  he  was  begot- 
ten or  derived  from  the  substance  or  essence  of  the 
Father.  The  controversy  grew  warm  and  parties 
were  formed  on  each  side :  but  Alexander  having 
the  greatest  influence,  got  Arius  deposed  and  ex- 
communicated in  a  provincial  council,  and  wrote  a 
circular  letter,  in  abusive  terms,  against  him  and 
his  opinions.  Constantine  who  then  held  the  reins 
of  Government,  and  was  the  first  Christian  Emperor 
of  the  Romans,  wrote  a  letter  to  each  of  the  con- 
tending parties,  in  which  after  censuring  their  con- 
duct, he  endeavoured  by  persuasion  and  influence  to 
put  a  stop  to  their  debates,  and  to  allay  their  animo- 


*  quia  et  pater  Deus  est,  et  judex  est ;  non  tamen  ideo  pater 

et  judex  semper,  quia  Deus  semper.  Nam  nee  pater  potuit  esse  ante 
{ilium,  ncc  judex  ante  delictum.  Fuit  autem  tempus  cum  et  delictum 
etfilius  non  fuit,  quod  judicem  et  qui  patrem  Dominum  faceret.  Ter- 
tulliani  Opera,  p.  23 4.  Edit.  Rigajtii.  Parisiis :  1695.  Adversus  Hcrmc 
^nem.  Cap.  III. 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  TRINITY.  243 

cities ;  but  that  not  having  the  effect  he  desired,  he 
determined  to  exercise  his  power  and  to  compel  the 
Church  to  uniformity  of  sentiment  by  a  General 
Council.  Accordingly  at  the  Emperor's  command 
(as  we  are  informed  by  some  Greek  Writers)  about 
three  hundred  and  eighteen  bishops  coming  from 
different  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire,  met  at  Nice,* 

*  Dr.  Priestley  iu  his  History  of  Early  Opinions  concerning  Jesus 
Christ,  Vol.  III.  p.  320,  321,  has  given  an  Extract  in  Latin  from  the 
Annals  of  Eutychius  the  Patriarch  of  Alexandria,  written  in  Arabic 
but  translated  by  Selden  into  Latin,  and  said  to  have  been  compiled 
from  the  archives  of  the  church  of  Alexandria;  which  gives  an  ac- 
count of  the  number  of  Bishops  who  assembled  at  Nice,  and  of  the 
lirst  proceedings  there,  very  different  from  that  of  the  Greek  writers. 
I  have  translated  this  Latin  quotation  as  follows. 

"  Constantine  having-  sent  into  all  countries,  called  together  the 
"  Patriarchs  and  the  bishops,  so  that  after  a  year  and  two  months  two 
"  thousand  and  forty -eight  bishops   met   at   Nice,  differing-  from   each 

'«  other  in  their  sentiments  and  modes  of  religion. There  were 

"  some  of  them  said  that  Christ  derived  his  existence  from  the  Father 
"  like  a  flame  of  fire  hanging-  down  from  anqther,  and  that  the  deriva- 
"  tion  of  the  latter  from  the  former  did  not  diminish  it,  which   was 

"  the  opinion  of  Sabeltius   and  his  followers. Others  said  that 

*'  Christ  was  created  a  man  by  God  and  of  the  same  substance  as 
"  other  men,  and  that  he  was  chosen  to  be  the  deliverer  of  Mankind, 
"  the  divine  grace  attending  him  and  dwelling  in  him  through  love 
"  and  good  will ;  and  that  therefore  he  was  called  the  Son  of  God. 
"  They  also  said,  that  God  was  one  substance,  and  one  person  called 
"  by  three  names,  not  believing  in  the  Word,  nor  in  the  holy  Spirit. 
"  This  was  the  opinion  of  Paul  of  Saviosata  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch, 

"  and  of  his  followers  who  are  called  Paulicians. Others  finally 

"  asserted  the  divinity  of  Christ,  which  is  the  opinion  of  the  Apostle 
"  Paul,  and  also  of  three  hundred  and  eighteen  bishops.  The  Empe- 
"  ror  Constantine  having  heard  their  opinions  wondered  at  this  differ- 
"  ence,  and  a  house  being  selected  for  them  in  the  place  he  had  pre- 
"  pared,  he  ordered  them  to  hold  disputations,  that  having  discovered 
"  upon  what  side  the  true  faith  might  be,  he  might  follow  it.  These 
"  three  hundred  and  eighteen  consented  in  one  faith  and  one  opinion, 
••  and  disputing  with  the  rest  who  had  urged  them  to  contend  with. 
"  them,  they  came  off  superior  to  them  by  their  arguments  and  dc- 
"  clareu  the  true  faith  :  but  the  other  bishops  differed  from  one  an- 
"  other  in  their  opinions  and  modes  of  religion.  Therefore  a  conveni- 
"  ent  and  large  place  being  prepared  for  these  three  hundred  and 
«  eighteen  bishops,  the  Emperor  himself  sat  down  in  the  middle  of 
"  them,  and  delivered  to  them  his  ring,  sword  and  sceptre,  telling 
"  them,  I  have  granted  you  to-day  my  power  in  the  empire,  that  you 
'*  may  do  in  it  whatever  is  expedient  for  you  to  do  respecting  those 
"  things  which  relate  to  the  right  establishment  of  religion  and  the 
"  advantage  of  the  faithful.     Selden' s  Eutychius,  p,  439.  440.  443,  444. 


244  THE  RXSK»  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

a  town  in  Asia  Minor,  and  after  having  discussed 
the  matter  in  debate  for  some  time  were  all  (  Arius 
h  uself  and  a  very  few  excepted)  by  persuasion,  in- 
fluence, authority  or  one  method  or  other,  brought 

Dr.  Priestley  remarks,  p.  319,  320.  "  The  same  account  Selden, 
"  the  publisher  of  Eutycluus,  found  in  an  Arabian  and  christian  writer 
"  named  Joseph,  and  also  in  a  celebrated  Mahometan  historian,  Ismael 
"  Ebn  Mi." 

"  This  account,  though  seemingly  very  different  from  that  of  the 
"  other  ecclesiastical  historians,  lieausobre  thinks  may  be  reconciled 
*'  with  it,  if  it  be  supposed  that  the  bishops  of  villages,  presbyters, 
"  and  those  who  were  deemed  heretical,  were  not  allowed  to  have  a 
"  seat  with  the  rest.  Wormius,  lie  observes,  says  that  no  sectary  was 
"  allowed  to  give  his  opinion  in  that  council." 

In  the  Gentleman's  Magazine  for  October  1789,  p.  885  to  887,  there 
is  a  piece,  entitled,  True  State  of  the  Proceedings  in  the  Council  of  Nice, 
in  which  the  chief  of  the  particulars  beforementioned  are  related, 
with  observations  on  them. 

"  Josephus  a  native  of  Egypt,  but  a  Christian  priest"  relates  "that 
"  2048  bishops  met  at  Nice,  and  that  the  Emperor  commanded  that 
"  the  Creed  drawn  up  by  the  bishop  of  Jerusalem  should  be  read  in 
"  the  Synod.  318  bishops  embraced  it,  1730  differed  in  various  ways, 
"  neither  agreeing  in  their  general  sentiments,  nor  any  one  article  of 
•*  Faith." 

"  Ismael  Ibn  AH,  a  Mohammedan  historian  of  great  and  extended 
"  reputation"  says,  "The  aforesaid  318  bishops,  moreover  assenting 
"  to  the  ordinance  of  Constantir.e,  set  forth  the  Christian  Faith  in  a 
"  different  manner  from  what  had  been  current  as  such  heretofore." 

We  need  not  wonder  that  the  318  bishops  should  be  represented  as 
having  had  the  better  in  the  dispute,  seeing  the  account  comes  from 
a  Trinitarian  Writer  that  derived  his  information  from  the  archives  of 
Alexandria.  Nor  is  it  surprising,  that  Constantixe  should  declare  him- 
self on  their  side,  since  from  his  situation  he  was  an  incompetent  judge 
of  the  matter  in  dispute,  was  hasty  in  his  decision,  and  seems  to  have 
been  guided  in  his  determination  by  pacific  and  political  views  more 
than  religious  ones. 

But  it  is  a  surprising  circumstance,  that  1730  bishops  assembled 
from  all  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire,  however  much  they  might  differ 
from  one  another  in  other  points,  should  yet  all  agree  in  rejecting  the 
divinity  of  Christ  and  the  Nicene  Creed;  and  that  only  318,  not  a  sixth 
part  of  2048  bishops  that  were  called  to  this  Council,  should  adopt  it. 

From  the  account  given  of  these  1730  bishops  by  Eutychius,  as 
having  been  all  followers  either  of  Sabellius,  or  of  Paul  of  Samosata, 
they  must  have  been  all  Unitarians,  and  believers  in  the  proper  humanity 
of  Christ,  whatever  contrariety  of  sentiment  there  might  be  in  other 
respects  among  them. 

This  is  an  additional  proof  from  a  quarter  little  known  or  attended 
to,  that  "  the  Christian  Church  must  have  been  originally  Unitarian  :" 
for  how  is  it  otherwise  possible,  that  so  many  as  1730  bishops,  who 
came  from  all  parts  of  the  widely  extended  empire  of  the  Romans, 
could  entertain  and  maintain  sentiments  of  this  kind,  in  opposition  to 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OP  THE  TRINITY.  245 

to  adopt  and  assent  to  a  new  Creed,  commonly  called 
the  Nieene  Creed,  the  second  Article  of  which  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  following  terms. 

"  And  (I  believe)  in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
"  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  begotten  of  his  Father 
"  before  all  worlds ;  God  of  God,  Light  of  Light, 
"  very  God  of  very  God,  begotten,  not  made,  be- 
"  ing  of  one  substance  with  the  Father,  by  whom 
"  all  things  were  made ;  who  for  us  men,  and  for 
"  our  salvation,  came  down  from  Heaven,  and  was 
"  incarnate  by  the  holy  Ghost  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
"  and  was  made  man,  &c." 

What  unscriptural,  what  unwarrantable  language, 
is  the  greatest  part  of  all  this ;  and  how  different 
from  the  ancient,  plain,  and  sound  doctrine  of  the 
Apostles  Creed!  A  second  God  is  here  plainly  set 
forth,  a  second  Creator,  who  was  made  man!  O  mon- 
strous extravagance  and  abomination  !  This  is  sure- 
ly the  strange  God  foretold  in  the  prophecy  of 
Daniel,  which  an  Antichristian  king  should  set  up.* 

Arius  himself  and  his  adherents  were  banished, 
and  his  peculiar  opinions  and  all  who  held  them 
were  condemned  and  anathematized  by  the  authori- 
ty of  the  Council,  confirmed  by  the  Emperor.     The 

a  powerful  monarch  like  Constant': He  and  the  favoured  318;  at  so  ad- 
vanced a  period  as  the  year  325,  when  the  Council  of  Nice  was  held. 

We  may  also  infer  from  the  relation  of  Eutychius  the  Patriarch  of 
Alexandria,  and  those  of  the  other  two  historians,  that  there  must 
have  been  much  management  and  policy  exercised  on  the  part  of  Con- 
stantine,  and  his  ecclesiastical  friends,  m  older  to  find  a  plausible  pre- 
tence for  setting  aside  the  votes  of  so  many  Christian  bishops,  who  had 
been  summoned  to  this  Council  by  the  command  of  Constantine  him- 
self. But  what  is  it,  that  unlimited  power  joined  with  State-policy 
.and  Clerical  fraud,  cannot  perform  ? 

From  this  view  of  things,  it  is  manifest,  that  the  Council  of  Nice, 
cannot  be  considered  as  a  fair  representation  of  the  Christian  Chinch 
at  the  time  it  was  held  ;  nor  can  the  Creed  that  was  adopted,  by  those 
comparatively  few  bishops  that  were  permitted  to  sit  and  vote  in  it,  be 
received  as  a  just  and  true  expression  of  the  general  sentiments  of  Chris- 
tians at  that  period 

*  Dan.  xi.  36  to  39 


1^46  THE  klSEi  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

Man  of  sin  was  now  openly  displayed  by  the  intole- 
rance and  tyranny  of  Ecclesiastics ;  but  more  espe- 
cially by  the  assumption  of  civil  authority  in  the 
Christian  Church,  and  the  banishment  of  Arius  and 
his  adherents.  This  may  be  called  the  third  stage  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  But  though  the  divini- 
ty of  the  Son  was  raised  higher  by  the  Nicene  bishops 
and  more  unequivocally  declared  than  before,  yet 
the  Father  is  still  styled  in  this  Creed  the  one  God, 
and  the  words  of  the  first  Article  are  the  following. 

"  I  believe  in  one  God,  the  Father  Almighty, 
"  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  and  of  all  things 
"  visible  and  invisible."  This  shows  that  the  ancient 
doctrine  had  taken  such  deep  possession  of  men's 
minds  that  it  could  not  be  thrown  off  all  at  once, 
even  by  a  Council  of  bishops  and  the  Emperor  at 
their  head.  But  what  was  wanting  in  the  Council 
of  Nice  was  soon  after  completed  in  the  Council  of 
Constantinople  and  other  general  Councils  :*  and  af- 
ter a  struggle  of  many  years  between  the  Arian  and 
the  homousian  parties,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  was 
fully  established  and  the  divinity  of  all  the  three  per- 
sons was  declared  to  be  the  same,  co-equal  and  co- 
eternal.  The  Athanasian  Creed  which  was  after- 
wards adopted,  with  the  Definitions  of  the  School- 
men completed  the  stupenduous  fabrick  of  modern 
Orthodoxy.  Various  superstitious  rites  and  idola- 
trous practices  were  also  introduced,  which  as  they 
have  no  necessary  connection  with  my  present  sub- 
ject I  shall  not  stop  to  describe. 

In  this  manner,  and  by  this  gradual  process  in 
the  course  of  live  hundred  years  after  Christ  was  the 

*  The  Article  respecting-  the  holy  Ghost,  stood  originally  in  the 
Xicciic,  as  it  does  in  the  Apostles  Creed,  "  I  believe  in  the  holy  Ghost," 
without  any  more  words.  The  Council  of  Constantinople  added  "  the 
Lord  and  giver  of  life,  who  proceedeth  from  the  Father;"  and  after- 
wards the  words  "ami  the  Son"  were  inserted  in  it. 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  TRINITY,  247 

Unity  of  God  subverted,  and  Polytheism,  or  the  wor- 
ship of  three  Gods,  called  in  name,  and  by  contradic- 
tion one  God,  established  among  Christians,  first  by 
ecclesiastical  authority  and  afterwards  confirmed  by 
civil  power.  During  the  greatest  part  of  this  period 
a  great  majority  of  the  Christian  people  appear  to 
have  been  Unitarians,  and  to  have  resisted  for  a  time 
the  advancing  corruption  of  their  religion ;  but  they 
were  overborne  at  last  by  the  Platonizing  Clergy 
and  Civil  Authority  together. 

There  were  some  eminent  and  learned  men  among 
these  early  Unitarian  Christians,  whose  names  de- 
serve to  be  honourably  mentioned,  though  their 
writings  (some  fragments  excepted  found  in  the 
works  of  their  adversaries)  have  unfortunately  pe- 
rished. 

Such  were,  among  the  Jewish  Unitarian  Chris- 
tians, Hegesippus  who  wrote  a  Continuation  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  now  lost,  but  some 
facts  that  were  recorded  in  it  have  been  preserved  by 
Eusebius  in  his  Ecclesiastical  history ;  Papias  also  an 
author ;  Symmachus,  a  Samaritan ;  Theodotion  and 
Aquila,  Jewish  Proselytes.  These  three  last  made  dif- 
ferent Translations  of  the  Old  Testament  from  He- 
brew into  Greek,  which  were  much  esteemed  by  the 
ancients. 

Among  the  Gentile  Unitarian  Christians,  were,  viz. 
Beryllus,  bishop  of  Bostra  in  Arabia,  who  ap- 
peared as  an  author  at  an  early  period  of  the  church, 
and  is  said  to  have  "  left  elegant  writings  behind 
him."  Eusebius  speaking  of  Beryllus  observes,  that 
"  he  dared  to  say,  that  our  Saviour  and  Lord  was 
"  not  before  produced,  according  to  any  individual 
"  subsistence  of  being,  (or  essence)  before  his  habi- 
"  tation  among  men,  and  that  he  had  no  proper  (or 
"  separate)  divinity,  but  only  that  of  the  Father  re- 
"  siding  in  him."     This  is  a  just  definition  of  the 


248  THE  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT 

Unitarian  doctrine,  expressed  with  as  much  precision 
as  it  can  well  be.* 

Theodotus  the  learned  Tanner  of  Byzantium. 
Artemon,  who  I  am  apt  to  think  was  a  most  judi- 
cious and  sensible  man ;  and  concerning  whose  opi- 
nions Theodoret  informs  us  in  these  words.  "  He" 
"  (Artemon)  says  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  a 
"  mere  man  (that  is,  a  real  and  true  man)  "  born 
"  of  a  Virgin,  superior  to  the  Prophets  in  virtue,  and 
"  misinterpreting  the  meaning  of  the  divine  writings, 
"  he  says,  that  the  Apostles  declared  these  things ; 
"  but  that  those  who  came  after  them  spoke  of 
"  Christ  as  God,  who  is  not  God."f 

Paidus  Samosatensis,  or  Paul  bishop  of  Samosata, 
a  learned,  and  eloquent  man,  and  very  popular  in 
his  diocese,  but  who  was  accused  by  his  adversaries 
with  being  haughty,  ostentatious,  and  fond  of  ap- 
plause. 

Sabellius,  who  lived  in  Africa,  and  whose  opinions 
occasioned  much  controversy  in  the  Church. 

Marcellus  bishop  of  Ancyra,  a  learned  and  able 
Writer,  against  whose  opinions  Eusebius  wrote  with 
much  acrimony  ; and  several  others. 

But  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  Photinus  the  cele- 
brated bishop  of  Sirmium,  who  wrote  both  in  Greek 
and  Latin,  and  continued  to  maintain  the  strict  Uni- 
tarian doctrine  of  the  personal  Unity  of  God  and  the 
proper  humanity  of  Christ,  with  ability  and  energy, 
against  both  Trinitarians  and  Arians,  after  the  Coun- 

*  Toy  croTf^at  unit  mpiov  yfiuDi  Xeyeiv  Tofy^wv  yw  'CTpu'^xuxt  not?  tdiav 
HiTitxs  tjsptypxfr.v.  zjpo  rys  ets  x-fipanus  eot^u«j,  (j-Vos  {aw  ^soItjIx  idixv 
sp^av,  «;\A'  s/attoKiIivo  ;ji.svm  aula  (j.ovm  ryv  -crxlgiyiw.  Ru&ebii  Ilistona 
Jicclen.  Edit.  Valesii.  Parisiis.  1659.  Lib.  VI.  Cap.  xxxiii.  p.  23 1. 

f  Toy  h  xvpiov  Ithtuv  Xgifov  avSfwTrov  e<7rs  ^.-iXov,  sk  ■&xg§eva  ysyivnfxi- 
voyj  ray  5e  izgotyel&v  xpflv)  ytpcirlovx.  Txvlx  oe  xxt  tus  ccns^oKss  tXsys  xe- 
y.npv^Dixt,  yrMgSM^KVcn  ruiv  $«wv  ygxtpuv  T/jy  huvoHXih,  ras  oe  (J-v  enemas 
SeiXayyo-oci  rw  Xpi^ov-  uk  ovlx  ®eov.  Theodore  ti  O/iera,  Edit.  Sir- 
mondi.  Pariisiis.  1642.  Vol',  IV.  p.  220.  Hser.  Fab. Lib. II.  Cap.iv. 


OF  THE  PRESENT  D0CT1UNE  OF  THE  TRINITY.  249 

cil  of  Nice,  even  so  late  as  the  middle  of  the  fourth 
century,  and  was  so  popular  in  his  diocese,  that  he 
resisted  the  decrees  of  two  Councils  who  had  depo- 
sed him ;  and  could  not  be  ejected  but  by  a  third 
Council  held  at  Sirmium,  and  backed  by  the  autho- 
rity of  the  Emperor  Constant  his.* 

Notwithstanding,  however,  the  spirited  exertions 
and  laudable  resistance  of  Photinus,  or  other  worthy 
persons  who  may  have  taken  the  same  side,  the  truth 
at  last,  by  the  force  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  autho- 
rity combined  and  united  against  it  was  brought  low, 
and  continued  to  keep  in  a  declining  state,  till  in  the 
dark  ages  when  the  Apostacy  was  at  its  utmost  height, 
and  the  woman  (or  the  church)  bad  fled  into  the  wiU 
derness,\  it  was  very  obscurely  seen.  But  here  from 
the  want  of  sufficiently  clear  and  full  information 
concerning  the  real  sentiments  of  Christians  in  many 
parts  of  the  world  in  these  times,  we  are  much  at  a 

*  An  ancient  Writer  speaks  of  Photinus  in  the  following  terms. 
Nam  erat  et  ingenii  viribus  valens,  et  doctrinal  opibus  excellens,  et 
eloquio  praepotens :  quippe  qui  utroque  sermone  copiose  et  graviter 
disputaret  et  scriberet :  ut  monumentis  librorum  suorum  manifestatur, 
quos  idem  partim  Graeco,  partim  Latino  sermone  composuit.  Philas- 
ter.  Bib.  Patrum.  Vol.  V.  Cap.  xvi.  p.  71.  Parisiis,  1576. 

"  For  he  was  eminent  by  the  strength  of  his  genius,  and  excellent 
"  by  the  variety  of  his  learning,  and  very  powerful  in  elocution  ;  being 
*•  a  person  who  could  dispute  and  write  copiously  and  with  energy  in 
««  either  language  :  as  is  fully  shown  by  the  monuments  of  the  books 
**  which  he  composed,  partly  in  the  Greek,  and  partly  in  the  Latin 
"  speech." 

Photinus  is  mentioned  besides,  as  an  eminent  man  and  copious  Wri- 
ter, by  Hilary,  jferom,  Socrates,  Sozomen  and  Nicephorus.  Socrates 
says,  that  "  he  wrote  against  all  heresies,  exhibiting  only  his  own 
"  doctrine  :"  and  Sozomen  relates  that  "  after  his  banishment,  he  did 
"  not  cease  to  propagate  his  principles,  and  that  he  published  treatises 
"  in  the  Greek  and  Latin  tongues  in  which  he  attempted  to  make  ap- 
"  pear  the  falsity  of  the  opinions  of  others,  his  own  excepted."  The 
writings  of  Photinus  must  have  made  a  considerable  impression  in  his 
own  times,  since  answers  appeared  to  them  long  after  his  death,  and 
one  is  said  to  have  come  abroad  so  late  as  about  the  year  500. 

What  a  pity,  that  none  of  the  compositions  of  this  learned  and  valu- 
able writer  have  reached  our  times. 

f  Rev.  xii.  13  to  17. 

K  K 


2,50  1HE  RISE>  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT* 

loss  as  to  the  state  of  the  case ;  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  number  of  those  who  in  private  and  retired 
situations,  held  the  true  evangelical  doctrine,  or 
some  considerable  and  important  parts  of  it,  may 
have  been  greater  than  any  records  that  are  in  being 
and  have  come  to  light  can  furnish  us  with  an  ac- 
count of.  For  in  these  times  of  spiritual  tyranny,  it 
was  penal  and  highly  dangerous  in  every  part  of 
Christendom  to  make  a  public  profession  of  any 
sentiments  or  opinions,  that  were  contrary  to  those 
that  had  been  received  and  established. 

But  no  sooner  had  the  restoration  of  useful  learn- 
ing assisted  by  the  noble  and  lately  invented  typogra- 
phical art,  under  the  conduct  and  administration  of 
divine  Providence,  given  a  different  turn  to  men's 
sentiments,  and  brought  about  a  partial  Reforma- 
tion ;  than  the  true  doctrine  of  the  Gospel  emerged 
from  its  former  obscurity  and  made  a  public  appear- 
ance :  though  its  open  professors.,  those  generous, 
disinterested,  and  heavenly  minded  persons  who 
espoused  it,  and  like  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ 
maintained  it  in  conversation,  disputation,  or  from  the 
press,  had  a  hard  battle  to  fight  in  these  miserable 
times;  and  were  opposed,  oppressed,  and  persecu- 
ted, in  different  ways  and  methods,  on  all  sides ; 
but  chiefly  (though  with  the  highest  degree  of  crimi- 
nality and  inconsistency)  by  the  popular  leaders  of 
the  partial  Reformation.  The  fates  of  Lewis  Hetzer, 
Michael  Servetus,  Bartholomew  Legatt,  and  Edward 
Wightman,  the  first  of  whom  was  put  to  death  at 
Constance,  and  the  three  last  were  burnt  at  the  stake 
by  Protestants,  are  some  melancholy  instances  (out 
of  many  that  might  be  produced)  of  the  truth  of 
this  assertion.* 


*  Lewis  Hetzer,  wrote  a  Treatise  against  the  Trinity  so  early  as  the 
year  1524.  His  book  w.-s  suppressed  by  Zuinglivs,  and  the  author  suf- 
fered at  Constance.     Michael  Servetus  a  Spanish  Physician,  was  the  au- 


OF  THE  PRESENT  DOCTKINE  OF  THE  TRIN'ITV.  251 

But  notwithstanding  these  severe  conflicts,  this 
fiery  trial,  and  other  cruel  and  unmerited  hardships, 
such  as,  banishment,  imprisonment,  and  confisca- 
tion of  worldly  substance,  that  the  honoured  advo- 
cates of  Unitarianism  had  to  endure  at  the  Reforma- 
tion and  for  a  long  time  after,  the  truth  of  the  Gos- 
pel continued  to  spread  in  different  countries  on  the 
continent  of  Europe,  and  in  England,  and  to  be  sup- 
ported by  a  succession  of  learned  and  illustrious  ad- 
vocates till  the  present  times :  and  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  as  it  is  of  divine  origin,  it  will  continue 
to  extend  its  influence  until  the  destined  period  shall 
arrive,  when  it  will  overspread  the  whole  earth. 

Blessed  and  eventful  period !  when  God's  ancient 
and  chosen  people  the  Jews,  who  have  been  in  all 
ages  the  depositaries  of  the  divine  Unity,  and  wit- 
nesses for  that  all-important  truth,  shall  be  recalled 
from  their  long  and  wide  dispersion  and  restored  to 
their  own  land,  when  having  their  eyes  opened,  and 
their  spiritual  blindness  removed,  they  shall  ac- 
knowledge Jesus  of  Nazareth,  whom  their  ancestors 

thor  of  several  works  against  the  modern  system  of  divinity,  common- 
ly called,  orthodox.  The  first  of  these  was  published  in  1531,  and  en- 
titled, De  erroribus  Trinitatis.  "  Concerning  the  Errors  about  a  Tri- 
nity." He  was  burnt  at  Geneva  in  155.> ;  and  Calvin  was  consenting 
unto  his  death.  Bartholomew  Legatt  and  Edward  Wightman,  were  both 
burnt,  the  former  at  Smithjield,  and  the  latter  at  Litchfield,  in  Uie 
reign  of  James  the  first  of  England,  and  in  the  year  1611. 

At  this  intolerant  period,  the  open  and  avowed  Unitarians  had  no  rest 
in  any  Christian  country,  except  in  Poland  and  Transylvania,  where 
they  enjoyed  the  free  exercise  of  their  religion  in  common  with  other 
sects.  They  were  afterwards  ejected  from  Poland,-  but  were  permit- 
ted to  continue  in  Transylvania,  where  their  churches  have  subsisted 
in  regular  succession  from  the  Reformation  to  the  present  day. 

These  Unitarians  in  Poland  and  Transylvania  have  had  a  number  of 
eminent  Writers  and  biblical  Critics  among  them,  and  they  published 
two  Catechisms,  or  Confessions  of  Faith,  the  frst  in  1574,  (four  years 
before  Faastus  Socinus  came  into  Poland  J  a  simple  and  beautiful  Com- 
position ;  and  the  last  a  far  more  elaborate  work,  in  1609.  This  last 
has  been  improved  and  much  enlarged  in  succeeding  editions.  The 
best  Edition  is  that  published  in  1680,  with  notes  by  some  of  their 
most  celebrated  writers. 


l252  THE  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AND  ESTABLISHMENT,  he. 

with  wicked  hands  did  crucify  and  slay*  as  their  true 
and  promised  Messiah,  when  JEHOVAH  shall  pour 
upon  the  house  of  David,  and  upon  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem,  the  spirit  of  grace  and  supplications  ;  and 
they  shall  look  upon  him  whom  their  ancestors  pierced, 
and  they  shall  mourn  for  him,  as  one  mourneth  for  his 
only  son,  and  shall  be  in  bitterness  for  him,  as  one 
that  is  in  bitterness  for  his  first  born  :f  when  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Gentiles  shall  come  in  ;\  when  the  magnifi- 
cent fabric  of  the  LORD's  house  shall  be  established 
in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above 
the  hills,  and  all  nations  shall  flow  into  it,  &c.\  when 
they  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plow-shares,  and  their 
spears  into  pruning  hooks ;  nation  shall  not  lift  up 
szvord  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more  ;%  when  the  loftiness  of  man  shall  be  bowed  down, 
and,  ihe  haughtiness  of  men  shall  be  made  low:  and 
JEHOVAH  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  that  day,  and  the 
idols  he  shall  utterly  abolish;**  when  JEHOVAH 
shall  be  king  over  all  the  earth  ;  in  that  day  shall  there 
be  one  JEHOVAH,  and  his  name  one  ;ff  and  when 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of 
our  Lord  (JEHOVAH)  and  his  Christ,  and  he  shall 

reign  for  ever  and  ever.\\ Even  so.  come,  Lord 

Jesus.     The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus   Christ  be  with 
all  his  people,  for  ever.  jdmen.\\\\ 

0  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  God !  how  unsearchable  are  his  judg- 
ments and  his  ways  past  finding  out  ?  For  who  hath 
known  the  mind  of  the  LORD,  or  who  hath  been  his 
counsellor  ?  Or  who  hath  first  given  to  him,  and  it  shall 
be  recompensed  unto  him  again  ?  For  of  him,  and 
through  him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things  :  to  whom  be 
glory  for  ever.  A?nen.^ 

*  Acts  ii  2:^  f  Zech.  xii.  10  *  Rom.  xi.  25.  ||  Isa.  ii.  2, 3.  $  Isa.  ii.  4 
**  Isa.  ii  17,  18.  &c.  fj  Zech.  xiv.  9.  n  Rev.  xi.  15.  j|||  Rev.  xxii.  20, 21. 
§§  Rom.  xi.  33  to  36. 


INDEX 


TEXTS  OF  SCRIPTURE, 

Which  have  been  commented  upon,  or  particularly  referred  to  in  the 
Dissertations. 

Texts  which  have  no  mark  are  urged  in  proof  of  the  Unity  of  God  in 
the  Person  of  the  Father. 

*  Before  a  Text  denotes  it  to  be  a  proof  of  the  Messiahship  and 
Proper  Humanity  of  Jesus,  or  to  have  a  relation  to  that  Subject. 

|  Before  a  Text  denotes  it  to  have  been  used  as  an  Objection  by 
Trinitarians. 

||  Before  a  Text  denotes  it  to  have  been  used  as  an  Objection  by 
Avians . 


Gen.  i.  1. 

17 

*  Psal.    Ixxxix.  27. 

176 

i.  26 

19 

*              cxxxii.  11. 

94 

i.  27.      • 

19,  175 

cxxxix.  7. 

70 

iii.  15.            ... 

91 

Prov.  viii.  22,  &c.    - 

162 

ix.  6.     -        •       •       - 

176 

Isa.  ii.  2,  &c.  4,-17,  18,  8 

tc 

252 

ix.  8,  9.— 12. 

-     20,  21 

t          vii.  14. 

97 

xiv.  22.          ... 

21 

t          ix.  6,  »7. 

49,  68.  96 

xvii.  1.           ... 

21 

*          xi.  1,  2,  3.      - 

95,   100,  169 

xxii.  18.         ... 

92 

xl.  25. 

26,  62 

Exod.  iv.  22.         ... 

176 

xlii.  5.-8.       - 

-       26,  27 

xx.  1,  2,  3.          -        - 

22 

xliii.  10,  11,  12. 

27 

XX.  11.         ... 

22.  Note 

xliv.  6,-8. 

27,  164 

xxxiv.  6,  7. 

158 

*          liii.  3,— f8. 

95 

Numb.  xiv.  11. 

70 

lxiii.  10. 

70 

Deut.  vi.  4.  to  9.           ■ 

22 

lxiii.  16. 

28 

vi.  13.          ... 

31 

*          lxv.  17,  18. 

182 

xviii.   15,-18.      - 

92 

Jerem.   iii.  1,-4. 

28 

xxm.  23. 

56 

ix.  23,  24.       - 

7,  27 

Judges  ii.  7,  &c. 

234 

X.  10,-12, 

27 

1  Sam.  ii.  26.        - 

110 

t                  xxiii.  6. 

96 

2  Sam.  xxiii.  2   3.         - 

70 

xxiii.  23,  24. 

27 

1  Kings,  viii.  22,  23,-27.     - 

24 

*                 xxxi.  9. 

178 

2  Kings,  xix.  15.           - 

24 

xxxiii.  16. 

96 

1  Chron.  xxix.  10,  to  13.      - 

28 

Ezek.  xiv.  4,  5,  6,— ll 

27 

Nehem.  ix.  6,  7—13. 

24 

xx.  19,  20. 

27 

Job  xii.  7  to  10. 

25 

Dan.  ix.  4,  &c. 

27 

xxxviii.  4.     - 

25 

xi.  36,  to  39.      - 

245 

Psal.   ii. 

94 

Hos.  xiii.  4. 

27 

viii.  1,-3,  4. 

25 

t  Micah  v.  2,—*  4. 

97 

xvi. 

94 

t  Ztehar.  xii.  10. 

97 

six.  1.        - 

25 

t                  xiii.  7. 

98 

xxii.             • 

94 

xiv.  9. 

S52 

lxv.  2.                   -        - 

25 

Mai.  ii.  10. 

28 

lxxviii.  56.           • 

70 

*  Maun.  i.  1.         -       - 

202 

lxxxi.  8,  to  10. 

163 

t                  i.  23. 

97 

lxxxiii.  18.           - 

25 

iii.  16,  17.       - 

100 

Ixxxvi.  8,  9,  10. 

25 

*                 iv.  1,  &c. 

112 

Ixxxix. 

94 

iv.  10.    - 

3T 

254 


INDEX  TO  THE  TEXTS  OF  SCRIPTURE 


}'r. 


>ratth.    r.  17,  18,  19. 

"         *             31     II 

John     xvii.  3.          . 

-        39,  164 

V.  45. 

33 

xviL  5. 

142 

vi.  6,-9,-18. 

33 

*                  xvii.  20  to  23. 

60 

71     | 

*                  XX.  17, 

-        52,  119 

viii.  20. 

152 

XX.  22. 

72 

X.  20. 

71 

t                   XX.  28. 

51 

xii.  28.      - 

71,  *106     ' 

*                   XX.  30,  31.     - 

161 

xvi.  13,  to  20. 

.      120,  to  123 

*                  xx.  31. 

8T 

xvi.  21.     - 

128 

*                   xxi.  12  to  15. 

107 

xviii.  20. 

56      1 

»  Acts  i.  1,  2.        -        -        - 

107 

xix.  16,  17.      , 

.     37,  123 

ii.  2,  3,  4.           - 

72 

XX.  23.     • 

123 

*             ii.  22.       - 

79,  188,  235 

XX.  28. 

152 

*             ii.  24,-32. 

128 

xxiv.  36. 

153 

*             ii.  32.-36. 

41,  42 

xxv.  40. 

177.  Note 

iii.  13,  &c.               40 

108,  206.  Note 

xxvi.  38. 

123 

•             iii.  26.         - 

128 

xxviii.  19. 

47 

iv.  24.-30. 

40,  41,  179 

Mark    x.  6.        - 

19 

*            v.  1,  to  11. 

64 

x.  34.       - 

128 

*             X.  34,  to  43, 

104 

xii.  28,  to  34. 

35 

*             X.  38.           - 

7,  62 

xiii.  11. 

71 

*             xiii.  32,   33. 

8T 

xiii.  33. 

123 

•              xiii.  32,  to  34,-37. 

128 

xiv.  33. 

123 

*            xiii.  38,  39. 

81 

Luke     i.  35.     - 

86 

xiv.   15. 

179 

ii.  52.     - 

110 

xvii.  24.      - 

179 

iv.  16,  to  19. 

109 

*             xvii.  31.      - 

62,  82,  188 

ix.  22. 

128 

XX.  27. 

-        11,  207 

x.  21.     - 

34 

t             xx.  28. 

52 

xi.  13. 

71 

*             xxi.  20,  to  23. 

225.  Nate 

xi.  20. 

71 

Rom.  i.  3,  4.       - 

87 

xii.  12. 

71 

i.  7.             - 

-    -                 41 

xxii.  43. 

125 

i.  18.         -        - 

158 

xxu.  44. 

123 

iv.  3. 

21 

xxiii.  27,  to  31.     - 

124 

iv.  24. 

21 

7  xiii.  46. 

128 

*                v.  15,-17,  18,  19. 

83 

xxiv.  19. 

78 

*               vi.  4.         -        - 

128 

xxiv.  49. 

71 

•              viii.  29. 

177 

John    i.  1. 

50 

t              ix.  5. 

52 

i.  1,  to  14.    - 

159  to  171 

»               x.  9.          - 

128 

i.  15 

135 

*             xi.  25,       - 

68,  252 

i.  18.      - 

135 

*               xi.  33,  to  36. 

-        47,  252 

i.  30.      - 

77 

f              xiv.  10,  11,  12. 

61 

i.   32,  33,  34. 

100 

1  Cor.  i.  30,  31. 

.       7.  Note 

ii.  19,-21.     - 

128.  Note 

ii.  11. 

70 

iii.  13. 

136 

*             iii.  11. 

122 

iii.  16. 

-      7.  Note 

viii.  4,  5,  6.      - 

42 

iii.  34. 

108 

II               x.  4.          -        - 

145 

iv.  25,  26.     - 

59 

||               x.  9.           -         . 

146 

iv.  21,  to  24. 

38,  39 

*               xi.  7. 

176 

v.  30.     - 

160 

t              xii.  4,  5,  6.       - 

48 

v.  30,  36.      - 

109 

*               xv.  21,  22. 

84 

vi.  34,-38,-51. 

137 

xv.  24.-28.       - 

42 

vi.  62. 

138 

*              xv.  47.      - 

85 

vii.  16. 

160 

2  Cor.  i.  2,  3.      -        - 

41 

viii.  24  —28. 

58 

*               v.  17. 

182 

viii.  40. 

78 

v.  18,  19. 

7.  N»te 

viii.  54. 

3S 

||               viii.  9. 

147 

viii.  56 

59,  61,  139 

xi.  31. 

11 

viii.  58. 

58 

1-              xiii.  14.     • 

49 

viii.  58. 

139 

»    Gal.  i.  1.          -       - 

-     42,  128.  Note 

ix.  9.     - 

59 

*             iv.  4. 

61 

X.  17,  18.      - 

128 

*Ephes.  i.  10. 

180 

x.  30. 

59 

i.  17. 

11 

x.  34,  35,  36.       - 

51,  87 

*               i.  17,  to  23.      - 

181 

xi.  27. 

122 

*               i.  19,  20- 

.       89,  128 

xii.  41. 

60 

*               ii.  10. 

182 

xii.  49. 

160 

||              iii.  9. 

172 

.xiii.  13. 

51,  52.  Note 

iii.  15.       ■ 

11 

xiii.  19. 

59 

rv.  4,  5,  6. 

42 

xiv.  9,  10. 

109 

||              iv.  9,  10. 

148 

xiv.  10. 

160 

*  Phil.   ii.  1,  to  4.        ■ 

-         -                 150 

xiv.  16,  17,-25,  2 

6.     -                 71 

t              ii.  6,  &c. 

62 

xiv.  28. 

123 

||              ii.  5,  to  11.       - 

..        -                149 

jivi.  7,-13. 

71 

«  Col.     i.  12,  13. 

183 

jrri.  28. 

140 

♦              i.  14. 

17* 

INDEX  TO  THE  TEXTS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 


23s 


Page 

Page. 

y  col.  ;.  u,  to  10. 

t  I  John  iii. 

54 

*               i.  20. 

183 

* 

iv.  1,  2,  3. 

23a 

*              ii.  12. 

128 

* 

v.  1,-5. 

122 

*  1  Thcss.  i.  9,  10. 

128 

t 

v.  7. 

45 

53,  157 

* 

v.  6. 

Hi 

66 

t 

v.  20,  21. 

54 

94,  95 

Jude 

verse  4. 

55 

52 

t 

25       - 

55 

8f 
184 

*  Rev. 

i.  1.           - 

i.  4,-8.     - 

I              t£*\ 

64  Note,  65 

53 

* 

i.  5.           - 

66 

«                i.  10,  11,  12. 

*               ii.  5,  to  8. 

185 

t 

i.  11,-17,  18.           » 

c| 

186 

t 

ii.  8.         -        - 

ei 

*            ii.  10,  &c. 

127 

t 

ii.  23. 

63,  64 

|              ii.  16.        • 

154 

* 

in.  21.       - 

136 

iv.  8,  to  11.     - 

65 

*               v.  7. 

120 

* 

V.  5,-9,-12. 

66 

*               X.  12. 

85 

* 

V.  6. 

-     64,  Note 

130 

v.  7.           - 

66 

*              xiii.  20. 

128 

X.  5,  6.      - 

179 

James  i.  17. 

30,  73 

* 

xi.  15. 

68,  69,  252 

iii.  8,  9. 

17i 

* 

xu.  13,  to  17. 

249 

|l  1  Pet.  i.  11. 
*               i.  21. 

155 

xiv.  7. 

179 

■       ! 

8,  128,  144 

t 

xvii.  14. 

65 

|               iii.  19,  20. 
1               iv.  6.        - 

156 

t 

xix.  13,-16.     - 

65 

XX.     - 

68 

'  2.  Pet.  i.  17. 

136 

* 

xxii.  16.    - 

66 

ii.  5. 

* 

Xiii.  20,  21.      - 

252 

INDEX 


QUOTATIONS  FROM  ANCIENT  CREEDS  AND  WRITERS, 

OR. 

REFERENCES  TO  THEM. 


PaSt 
Apostolical  Fathers,  viz.  Clemens,  Barnabas,  Hernias,  Ignatius,  Polycarp,  the 

authority  due  to  them.        ; 189 

Apostles  Creed  put',  etly  Unitarian,  and  commented  upon  from     •        •       -  190,  to  199 

First  Article  quoted. 192 

Second  Article.     -  194 

Third  Article. 195 

Apostolical  Constitutions,  :i  simple  and  unexceptionable  Creed  found  in  them.        -      191.  Note 
Athanasius  quoted,  acknowledges  that  the  Apostles  preached  the  humanity 

of  Christ,  but  assigns  a  strange  reason  for  it. 203,  204 

Athanasian  Creed  mentioned.   _ 198,  246 

Clementine  Homilies,  an  Unitarian  work. 190 

Eminent  and  learned  men  among  the  ancient  Jewish  and  Gentile  Unitarian 

Christians. 247,  to  24? 

Epip/umius  referred  to  concerning  the  Ebimiites  and  Nazarenes.  ....         222 

F.itsebiits  quoted.    1.  Respecting  the  Unitarian  opinions  of  the  Ebionites,  or 

ancient  Jewish  Christians.  -  221 

2.  Respecting  the  assertion  of  the  ancient  Gentile  Unitarian  Christians, 
that  the  Apostles  and  all  the  ancients  taught  their  doctrine,  &c.  with 

remarks. 223,  to  231 

3-  Respecting  the  Unitarian  opinions  of  Beryllus  bishop  of  Bostra.       -        -        247,  248 
F.ytye/iius  tlie  Patriarch  of  Alexandria  quoted,  respecting  the  proceedings  at 

the  Council  of  Nice. 243.  Note 


256  INDEX  TO  QUOTATIONS  FROM  ANCIENT  CREEDS,  &c. 

Page 
Ignatius  quoted,  respecting  the  dangerous  opinions  of  the  Gnostics.       ....     237 

Jerom  quoted,  respecting  the  Ebionites  and  Nazarenes. 222 

Josephus  the  Egyptian  quoted,  concerning  the  Council  of  Nice.     ....    244.  Note 
Ismael  Ibn  AlU  a  Mohammedan  historian  quoted,  respecting  the  same  subject.        •  ibid. 
Justin  Martyr  quoted,  respecting  his  conference  with  Trypho  the  Jew  con- 
cerning the  supposed  Pre-existence  of  Christ. 208,  to  210 

Referred  to  Jour  times. 239,  240.  Notes 

An  early  corrupter  of  the  Evangelical  Doctrine. 239,  240 

Imitated  by  Irenceus,  Tertullian,  Origen,  Eusebius,  and  other  early  wri- 
ters, who  held  the  Doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  but  very  differently  from 

the  present  notion  of  it. 241,  242 

Nicene  Creed  quoted. 245,  246 

Origen  quoted,  respecting  the  Unitarian  opinions  of  the  Ebionites  or  Jewish 

Christians. 219,  220 

Philaster  quoted,  respecting  the  genius  and  great  abilities  of  Photinus  bishop 

of  Sirmium. - -       - 

Polycarp  quoted,  concerning  the  true  character  and  dignity  of  Christ,  &c. 

and  his  severe  censure  of  the  Gnostics. 236,  237 

Socrates  quoted,  respecting  Photinus.  ......... 

Sozomen  quoted,  respecting  Photinus.        - 

Tertullian  quoted.  1 .  For  the  African  Copy  of  the  Apostles  Creed. 191 

2-  For  the  general  prevalence  of  Unitarian  principles  among  the  great 

body  of  Christian  people  in  his  time. 211,  212 

3.  For  the  state  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  in  his  time.         ....      241,  242 

Theodoret  quoted.  1.  Concerning  the  Unitarian  opinions  of  the  Nazarenes.    -        -        •      223 

2.  Concerning  the  Unitarian  opinions  of  Artemon.    •  248 


FINIS. 


APPENDIX. 


(To  be  inserted  in  the  Dissertations  after  the  second  Index.) 

HAVING  in  Dissertation  XVI,  pages  245,  246,  inadvertently  quoted 
the  Nice?ie  Creed;  as  it  stands  ir.  the  Liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  from  tlience  in  that  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  of  America;  which  is  more  properly  the  Creed  of  the  Council 
of  Constantinople,  with  some  still  later  additions,  than  that  of  Nice,  I 
think  candour  and  fairness  require  of  me  that  I  should  give  the  Creed 
of  this  partial  and  mutilated  Council  of  Bishops,  such  as  it  really  came 
from  their  hands.  I  shall  therefore  here  transcribe  it  at  full  length  in 
English,  with  the  original  Greek  annexed,  as  inserted  by  Socrates  in 
his  Ecclesiastical  History. 

The  Original  Creed  of  the  Council  cf  Nice. 

"  We  believe  in  one  God,  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  all  things 
"  visible  and  invisible.  And  in  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God, 
"  begotten  the  only  begotten  of  the  Father,  that  is  of  the  substance  of 
"the  Father:  God  of  God,  and  Light  of  Light,  true  God  of  true  God: 
"  begotten  not  made  ;  of  the  same  substance  with  the  Father;  through 
"  whom  all  things  were  made,  the  things  in  heaven  and  the  things  in 
"  the  earth  ;  for  us  men  and  for  our  salvation  descending,  and  having 
**  taken  flesh,  was  made  man ;  suffering,  and  having  risen  again  in  the 
"  third  day,  ascending  into  the  heavens,  coming  to  judge  the  living 
"  and  the  dead.  And  in  the  holy  Spirit.  But  the  holy  Catholic  and 
"  Apostolic  Church  anathematizes  those  who  say,  that  there  was  a 
*'  time  when  the  Son  of  God  was  not,  and  that  he  was  not  before  he 
"  was  begotten,  and  that  he  was  made  of  things  not  existing,  or  those 
"  saying  that  he  is  of  a  different  substance  or  essence,  or  created,  or 
"liable  to  conversion  or  mutation  " 

nirtvofjisv  tis  tvx  I'tov,  mxripx  Trxvrxxpxropx,  trxvruv  opxraiv  rs  xxi 
nopxTtJv  tiownv.  Kxi  sis  evat  xvpiov  \ttcrav  Hpi^ov  tov  viov  rov  Seb, 
yevvnStvrx  tx.  rov  trarpos  fAovoysvy,  tktes-iv  tx  rvis  acrixs  tcj  tixrpos'  Bsov 
£)t  Seb,  xxi  (pus  ix  (£wros,  $tov  xMZivov  tx  $£«  xXrftiva.  ysyvn^evrx  a 
iioenhivTx.  c/jLoaaiov  ru  irxrpt'  5/  a  rx  trxvrx  sysvero,  rxrc  ev  rm  apxvu) 
xxi  rx  ev  ry  yn  £;'  r,(j.xs  ras  xv^pumas  xxi  <itx  ryv  r,^.zrepxv  aurtpixv 
xxT&SovTbt,  xxi  crxpxuSevra,  xxi  eix&pwjryo-xvTx'  ttx^ovtx  xxi  xvx^xvrx 
rr>  rpirv)  -ny-ipx,  xntSovrx  its  ras  apxvas.  tpyoynvoy  xpivxi  fwvrxs  xxi 
ytxpas.  Ka<  eis  to  xyiov  trnvixx.  las  os  Xtyovrxs,  oil  nv  tote,  ote  ax  *ivy 
xxi  ^piv  ytnySr.vxi  ax  »jv.  xxi  on  e£  ax  ovrwv  fysvETo,  v  t%  trtpxs 
•vaosxaios  ri  aaixs  (^uaxovrxs  tivxi,  •»  xii^ov,  to  rpsmov  in  xXhoiarcv  rov 
vtov  ra  Ses,  tbtbs  xvx^iuxtiCei  %  xyix  XXZoXlXY)  xxi  xtrofoXixr)  ExxXricrix. 

Socratis  Hist.  JSccles.  Lib.  I.  Cap.  8.  p.  22,  23.  Edit.  Valesii. 
Parisiis.  1668. 

Ll 


25S  APPENDIX. 

Corrupt,  unscriptural,  inconsistent,  extravagant,  and  uncharitable, 
as  this  Creed  in  general  may  be  ;  and  though  I  verily  believe  that  a 
certain  part  of  it  is  alluded  to  in  the  Prophecies  of*  Daniel ;  yet  it  falls 
much  below  the  standard  of  modern  Orthodoxy,  the  Monstrum  horren- 
dum,  informe,  ingens  ;  cui  lumen  ademptum,  of  "three  persons  and  one 
God;"  and  exhibits,  in  its  first  article,  the  ancient  Unitarian  doctrine 
of  the  Church  of  Christ. 

I  shall  farther  add,  that  if  we  give  credit  to  Epiphanius,  Constantine 
after  he  had  written  to  Alexander  bishop  of  Alexandria  and  to  Arius 
without  effect,  summoned  the  latter  to  appear  before  him  previous  to 
the  meeting  of  the  Council  of  Nice,  when  a  Conference  took  place  that 
appears  not  to  have  been  pleasing  to  Constantine.;  for  he  afterwards 
wrote  a  severe  letter  respecting  Arius,  addressed  to  all  his  subjects. 
Dr.  Priestley  mentions,  that  Baronius  says,  he  found  a  copy  of  this  let- 
ter, in  Latin,  in  the  Vatican  library,  and  published  it,  and  that  the 
letter  was  addressed  to  Arius  and  his  friends,  but  circulated  through 
the  empire.  If  this  account  can  be  depended  upon,  it  will  appear  that 
Constantine  met  the  Council  of  Nice  with  hostile  intentions  against 
Arius.     We  need  not  therefore  wonder  at  the  result  of  the  Council. 

But  what  is  still  more  surprising,  Constantine,  some  years  after  the 
Council  of  Nice  recalled  Arius  from  banishment,  became  reconciled  to 
him,  and  even,  it  is  said,  towards  the  end  of  his  reign,  was  some- 
what inclined  to  Arianism.  And  it  is  a  certain  fact,  that  his  son  and 
successor  Constantius  gave  his  Countenance  to  the  Semi  Arian  party  all 
his  time.  I  he  Emperor  Valens,  who  succeeded  sometime  after,  was 
a  zealous  Arian.  The  Council  of  Ariminum,  and  some  others,  held  in 
the  fourth  Century,  decided  in  favour  of  the  Arian  or  Semi-Arian  Doc- 
trine ;  and  there  can  be  no  manner  of  doubt,  that  if  the  succession  of 
Arian  Emperors  had  continued,  some  modification  of  Arianism  would 
have  been  generally  adopted  and  established ;  and  accounted  the  stand- 
ard of  Orthodoxy  at  the  present  day. 

But  unfortunately  for  the  Arians,  Theodosius,  who  succeeded  Valens, 
embraced  with  eagerness  and  firmness  the  tenets  of  the  homousiar. 
party;  and  by  his  authority  and  influence  the  Creed  of  the  Council  of 
Nice  was  confirmed  and  enlarged  in  the  Council  of  Constantinople,  call- 
ed by  the  Orthodox  (with  gross  impropriety)  the  second  general  Coun- 
cil, and  held  in  the  year  331.  In  this  Council,  the  divinity  and  per- 
sonality of  the  holy  Spirit  was  first  established,  and  the  doctrine  of  a 
co-equal  aud  consubstantial  Trinity  properly  formed. 

The  pretended  third  general  Council  was  held  atEphesus  A.  D.431, 
and  determined  among  other  things  in  opposition  to  Nestorius,  that  the 
divine  and  human  natures  made  one  person  in  Christ. 

The  pretended  fourth  general  Council  met  at  Chalcedon  in  the  year 
451,  and  decreed  acrainst  Eutvches,  that  the  divine  and  human  natures 
existed  in  Christ  without  change,  mixture,  or  confusion ,-  and  still  remain 
two  natures,  though  inseparably  united  in  one  person. 

In  this  manner  the  orthodox  system  was  finished  at  last ;  having  been 
patched  up  and  pieced  out  at  four  different  Conncils.  All  the  modern 
Creeds,  \rticles,  and  Confessions  of  Faith,  of  established  churches  in 
Christendom,  hang  upon  these  Councils  ;  and  not  upon  the  Law,  the  Pro- 
phets, or  Apostles. 

It  may  appear  strange  to  an  ill-judging  and  superficial  understanding, 
that  though  both  Trinitarians  and  Arians  can  boast  of  Roman  Emperors 


APPENDIX.  809 

and  General  Councils  on  their  side,  the  proper  Unitarians,— -the  advo- 
cates for  one  God,  the  Father,  and  one  mediator  between  God  and  men, 
the  man  Christ  Jesus,  (1  Cor  viii.  6.  1  Tim.  ii.  5.)  can  pretend  to  no 
such  formidable  and  Splendid  human  supports.  '1  he  humble  Unitarian 
Christians  give  up  very  freely  lo  their  opponents,  all  these  ramparts 
and  fortifications  of  mystical  Babylon.  The)  are  contented  with  the 
clear  sense  of  Scripture  on  their  side  ;  with  the  Apostles  Creed ;  and  the 
major  pars  credentiuin,  "  the  majority  of  believers"  in  the  purest  ages 
of  the  Church,  granted  to  them  by  the  confession  of  the  ir  adversaries. 
T hough,  if  they  were  disposed  to  put  in  their  claim  to  the  authority  of 
a  general  Council,  they  might  say  with  truth  and  justice,  that  the  Uni- 
tarian Doctrine  would  have  been  carried  at  the  Council  of  Nice  by  a 
great  majority  of  votes,  if  Consiantine  had  not  garbled  that  Council,  by 
ejecting  the  greatest  part  of  those  Bishops  who  had  been  summoned 
by  himself  to  attend  it,  and  permitting  only  about  a  seventh  part  of  the 
original  number  to  vote.     See,   Dissertation  XVI    Note,  p.  243,  &c 

In  Du-Pin's  Historv  of  the  Church,  Vol  2,  p  113,  I  find  an  account  of 
Photinus,  and  the  progress  of  his  opinions,  which  as  it  contains  some 
particulars  that  I  have  not  met  with  elsewhere,  in  the  course  cf  my 
reading,  I  shall  hpre  insert. 

"  This  last"  {Photinus)  "did  not  dissemble  his  sentiments,  and  said 
•*  expressly,  that  the  Word  was  not  a  distinct  person  from  the  Father, 
"  and  that  the  Designation  of  Son  of  God  ought  not  to  be  given  him 
"  before  his  being  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  His  error  was  no  sooner 
"  discovered,  but  it  was  condemned  ;  by  the  Bishops  of  the  East  in  a 
"  Council  that  was  held  at  Antioch,  in  345,  and  by  the  Bishops  of  the 
**  West,  in  the  Council  of  Milan,  in  346  Two  years  after  these  last 
"  assembled  at  Sirmium  to  depose  htm  ;  but  they  could  not  get  him 
"  dispossessed,  because  of  the  opposition  made  by  the  people  of  that 
"  city  The  Bishops  of  the  East  assembled  in  that  City  in  351,  de- 
"  posed  Photinus.  He  had  recourse  to  the  Emperor,  and  prayed  him 
"  to  grant  a  Conference.  Basil  of  Ancyra  was  named  to  dispute  against 
"  him  in  that  Conference.  Photinus  being  put  to  confusion  was  banish- 
ed. He  returned  under  the  reign  of  Julian;  but  he  was  banished 
"  again  under  that  of  Valentinian,  and  d  ed  in  Galatia,  in  376.  He  had 
"  spread  his  doctrines  in  Illyria,  and  the  neighbour'pg  places,  where 
"his  Sect  settled  It  did  not  die  with  himself;  there  were  many 
"  Photinians  in  Dalinatia,  in  the  time  of  Innocent  I.  Gratian  and  Theo- 
"  dosius  made  several  laws  against  them.  Bonosus  Bishop  of  Naissa 
"  followed  his  errors  ;  and  that  Sect  continued  'till  the  fifth  Century." 
I  have  nothing  to  object  to  in  this  account  of  Du-Pin,  who,  making 
some  allowance  for  his  theological  prejudices,  is,  upon  the  whole,  a 
candid^nd  valuable  writer;  excepting  that  part  where  he  says,  that 
Photinus  in  the  disputation  with  Basil,  "  was  put  to  confusion"  It 
may  be  proper  here  to  state  what  Dr.  Priestley  savs  in  his  General  His- 
tory of  the  Christian  Church,  Vol.  2.  p.  140 ;  where  he  has  faithfully  re- 
ported what  Socrates  and  Sozomen  have  related  about  this  matter,  as 
I  myself  have  found,  upon  an  express  examination  of  these  Greek  Ecc- 
lesiastical Historians. 

"  Photinus  being  promised  a  restoration  to  his  bishoprick  provided 
"he  would  (renounce  his  opinion,  and)  "  subscribe  to  these  Creeds," 
(Semi-Arian  Creeds  in  Greek  and  in  Latin)  "not  only  icfused  to  do 
"it,  but  challenged  any  of  the  bishops  who  were  present  to  dispute 


ii 


4? 


^^^^^P*    *v 


